


The Guardian of Eos

by RedPandaOverlord



Series: The Guardian of Eos [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, Female Reader, I just want these babies to be happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-17 10:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 43,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13074912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedPandaOverlord/pseuds/RedPandaOverlord
Summary: “I have to… I have to…” Lying on your back, you reached a bloodied, trembling hand toward the blackened sky. A maniacal laughter could be heard far off, celebrating a long-awaited victory. More tears sprung forth from your eyes.“I will not ask you to take the burden,” you choked out between sobs. “I only ask for your power. For their sake… For Eos… I just… Please…!”A deafening howl filled your ears as a brilliant blue light filled your vision.





	1. Chapter 1

      “I have to… I _have_ to…” Lying on your back, you reached a bloodied, trembling hand toward the blackened sky. A maniacal laughter could be heard far off, celebrating a long-awaited victory. More tears sprung forth from your eyes.

      “I will not ask you to take the burden,” you choked out between sobs. “I only ask for your power. For their sake… For Eos… I just… **_Please_ ** …!”

A deafening howl filled your ears as a brilliant blue light filled your vision.

 

* * *

 

      You jolted awake in a cold sweat.

It was just before daybreak. The air was crisp and a slight breeze blew between the alleys of Insomnia. You sighed as you sat up and rubbed the sleep from your eyes, cursing yourself for having a short rest in the first place. The day that Noctis and his crew would leave for Altissia had arrived. There was still one thing left to do before they departed, if everything was to go as planned. You quickly stood up on the rooftop of the building you dozed on moments before. Gazing over the city, businesses were opening and traffic was starting to pick up. You looked toward the Wall, already envisioning the enemy's assault. With a deep breath, you turned back towards the Citadel and began vaulting over alleyways from rooftop to rooftop.

You scaled down a building and landed in an alley just outside the main gate. You reached into one of the inner folds of your black hooded leather poncho and pulled out a black beak-like mask. After you secured the straps, you pulled your hood over your head and stepped out. As you approached the two Crownsguard situated on either side of the opening, you snapped your fingers. A breeze with the scent of poppy flower blew past them and they immediately slumped against the pillars fast asleep. You quickly passed through and snapped your fingers again before continuing on. The scent dissipated and the two guards awoke with a groan, confused as to why they were unconscious. They immediately called into their earpiece, checking with other posted guards if they saw anyone pass through the main gate. You already reached the entrance to the garage and ducked in before the patrolling guards confirmed that they didn’t see anyone in the area.

You stealthily ran from corner to corner, hiding in the blind spots of the security cameras. Without looking, you threw a small black orb at one of the cameras before running toward the Regalia. On impact, the orb burst into a dark cloud and obscured the camera’s view. You tossed another one of the orbs at the camera facing the driver’s side, enveloping it in darkness before approaching the door. You reached into one of the inner pockets of your poncho and pulled out a copy of the key to the vehicle, one that was made long ago. You unlocked the door and pressed the switch to pop open the panel for the Regalia’s engine block. A _thunk_ echoed through the garage, but you knew there was no one there to hear it. You rushed to the side of the car and nimbly screwed open the gas cap. You reached for the canteen at your hip and poured a third of the water into the gas tank. You replaced the gas cap then reached towards the serpentine belt. With a flick of your wrist, a condensed whirlwind wrapped around the object, wearing it down significantly in a matter of seconds. You stepped back and closed the panel with another _thunk_. As the darkness around the security cameras started to clear up, you slammed the driver’s door closed and locked it, stowing the key back into your poncho.

You sprinted towards the elevators and leaned against the wall just outside the doors. Waiting, you counted down.

_5… 4… 3… 2… 1…_

The doors opened and a Glaive walked out, ready to bring the Regalia out to the front of the Citadel. You ducked into the elevator and pressed a button, sighing as the doors slid shut.

      “Here goes nothing.”

 

* * *

 

      “It was you… All along, it was _you_. How could I have missed it?” Your hands were tightly clenched as rage coursed through your veins. Titus Drautos, heavily wounded and breathing hoarsely, was lying on top of rubble as dawn approached. “I should have killed you when I had the chance. Sylva, Clarus… Regis would have…!”

Drautos wheezed out a shaky breath.

      “It’s far too late now to change anythi–”

You jutted two fingers toward his head and an arrow of air shot forth to pierce him between the eyes, killing him instantly. Your hand shook in anger and frustration, not only from the betrayal of the former Kingsglaive captain, but from your failure to realize sooner. You turned toward the man sitting all too casually, bits of ash floating from him as he faced the rising sun.

      “King Regis did what he did for the future,” Nyx said with a serene look. “Because of him, there’s still hope for our homes.” You slowly approached him, kneeling down at his side. You took off your mask and pulled down your hood, revealing tears pouring down your cheeks. 

      “It wasn’t supposed to be this way. You’re a fool, Nyx Ulric.” He reached over and brushed a tear away. More of his skin crumbled and drifted in the morning breeze. “It was supposed to be me. _I_ was the one who was supposed to fight him. _You_ were supposed to stay with Lunafreya… Why is this happening?”

He gave you a warm smile, almost laughing at your words. 

      “There you go again. It’s like you’ve done this before.” Your scoff came out as a half sob, knowing that he was absolutely right. You grabbed his hand and held it to your cheek. Nyx’s eyes widened as the bittersweet feeling of déjà vu washed over him. His eyes stung with tears as he focused on your face, a pained smile on his lips from long-forgotten heartache.

      “Not the worst way to go.”

His form was beginning to dissipate, and he turned his attention to the sun. The feeling of his hand disappeared as he breathed out.

      “Rule well, young king.”

 

* * *

 

      The patrons at Hammerhead’s Crow’s Nest clamored around the radio as news on Insomnia’s fall was announced. You sat in a booth, watching the rain patter against the windows. Your mask was laying on the inside of the booth next to you, your hood still drawn over your head. The plate of fries you ordered were untouched and long cold. Outside, a stern-looking man dressed in black had just finished making a phone call. He paused for a few moments before walking toward the garage. You watched Cor speak with Cid, knowing that he had just told Noctis to meet him here. But his impatience got the best of him, as he left early and made his way to the royal tomb in Leide. After placing a few gil on the table, you picked up your mask and left the diner with its worried occupants. You quickly secured on the beak-like mask and ran in the direction of the tomb, moving as fast as the wind and leaving the scent of marigolds behind. 

After arriving at the ornate structure, you climbed the arched wall and stationed yourself on top of the tomb so that you were just out of view. You knew it would be 34 minutes before they arrived, so you sat down and began double-checking through your supplies while you waited. Extra Hi-Potions, Hi-Elixirs, and Antidotes you had made days beforehand, more than enough Phoenix Downs, and a few black orbs. You picked up one of the spheres and held it up. The dark cloud inside swirled, as if it were sentient and desperate to escape. You knew your normal schedule was to make more later tonight, but with the recent events you couldn’t help but feel a tinge of anxiety.

You finished replacing everything and laid down on your stomach, knowing they would be arriving. 

_3… 2… 1…_

Familiar voices fill the air. You peered over the edge of the tomb and saw Noctis, Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis come into view. You looked at them with longing, almost desperate to see them again. A sinking feeling nestled in your chest, knowing that this would be the last time you would see this scene. They entered the tomb and the doors rumbled shut. Not long after, you sensed a rush of power, indicating that Noctis had just received his first Royal Arm: The Sword of the Wise. After a few moments, the doors began to open again and Cor stepped out. You stood up and adjusted everything on your person, almost trembling with anticipation. You leapt down and landed in front of the entrance, making the Prince stumble back.

      “Whoa! What the heck?!” Prompto exclaimed.

      “Who… or _what_ is that?” Gladiolus eyed your mask while shifting Noctis behind him.

      “An enemy?” Ignis added as he moved forward.

      “Ah. As expected, you’re here.” Cor approached you, well familiar now with your sudden appearances. You stood up and turned to face the other men. You heard Prompto let out a meek gasp somewhere behind Noctis. Gladiolus was tense from head to toe and Ignis was keeping an eye on your movements, ready in the case you became aggressive.

      “Cor, who is this?” Noctis asked as he pushed past Gladiolus.

      “A trusted ally of the Crown. Goes by Ultor.” Cor stood next to you and held out his hand. You shook it with your gloved one then stepped toward Noctis. He stiffened as you got closer, glancing up and down your figure that matched his height. He noticed an oddly curved pole stored at the back of your waist, the ends poking out of your poncho along with a long cylindrical leather case under it. You gracefully knelt down on one knee in front of him.

      “Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum,” you spoke with a regal voice. Your mask distorted the sound, making it lower as it came out of the small ventilation slits in the beak. “I will be accompanying you on your journey to gather the Royal Arms and restoring your Kingdom.”

      “Uh… Wait, you’re coming with us?”

      “There will be times where I will need to take a leave of absence, but rest assured I will always return.”

      “That’s… not necessary, is it?” Noctis turned toward Ignis, who had adjusted his glasses.

      “The offer is appreciated, but I too wonder why you would make such a decision.” You closed your eyes and relished the sound of the man’s voice, holding back a sigh of comfort.

      “Ultor has a vast amount of knowledge and experience, admittedly more than myself. It would serve you well to have him join you,” Cor added. “He’s also aided His Majesty and the Kingdom on several occasions in the past.”

      “You helped the King back in the day?” Gladiolus became more physically relaxed. “That’s really saying something.”

      “Yeah,” Prompto chirped. “I’d think it’d be great to have you with us!”

      “If that is the case, then we would greatly appreciate your assistance, Ultor. What say you, Noct?” Ignis glanced at the young man.

      “That does sound helpful. Yeah, we’d love to have you with us.” Noctis scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Just, no kneeling or anything like that. I hate that stuff.”

_I know you do._

      “Very well. Would this do?” You stood up and offered your hand. He paused before giving a familiar smirk. As he shook your hand, he stared at it for a moment before letting go. Noctis noted how small your hand felt in his. Prompto pushed past him and shook your hand vigorously, still visibly uncomfortable about your mask but seemed to be doing it out of nervousness.

      “How do you do! I’m–”

      “Prompto Argentum. Yes, I know you.” A surprised look crossed the young man’s face. “And Gladiolus Amicitia, and Ignis Scientia.” You let go of Prompto’s hand and regarded the other two men with a nod. You kept your gaze on Ignis a moment longer. He gave you a look of slight suspicion before nodding in turn.

_As usual. I wouldn’t expect anything less of you._

      “Don’t be too shocked that Ultor knows who you are. As I said, he has a vast amount of knowledge.” Cor began walking up the small staircase of the tomb. “But enough of introductions. I’ll show you to the other tomb nearby. I’ll go with you for the time being. Not only to help, but to get a measure of your strength.”

You walked with Cor while the others followed a distance behind.

      “So… Is Ultor really a guy…?” Noctis whispered.

      “What do you mean?” Prompto whispered back.

      “His hand felt pretty small, almost _dainty_.”

      “Really? Because your hands are also pretty small and dainty.” Gladiolus added in with a smirk. 

      “Shut up.”

You had overheard this conversation debating the truth several times before. But you were more concerned with the new information for Cor– new information for the first time in a _very_ long time.

      “Cor,” you murmured to the man. He leaned in slightly. “About the invasion, Regis…”

      “What of it?”

      “… It was Drautos. He is– was, General Glauca.” Cor paused and scowled. He continued walking at a faster pace.

      “That’s a serious accusation, Ultor. How would you know this?”

      “Because Nyx Ulric sacrificed himself to ensure the safety of Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret and the Ring of the Lucii.” You gripped your hands tightly. “The Empire had someone on the inside and it was the last person anyone would expect, myself included unfortunately.”

Cor remained silent, processing the shocking news. After a few moments, he sighed deeply.

      “So, he’s dead?”

      “I made sure of it.”

      “Will you tell them?” Cor motioned behind at the entourage passing glances at you.

      “In time.”

      “What about… _everything else_?”

      “… In time. I wouldn’t want to overwhelm them like I did with you. Until then, under no circumstances are you to discuss _that_ with them.”

      “You have my word, Ultor.”

 

* * *

 

      “What do you think they’re talking about?” Prompto whispered to Ignis.

      “Your guess is as good as mine. I would assume something related to recent events.”

      “But it seems really weird that he would just show up out of nowhere,” Gladiolus brought up. “How long you think that Ultor guy has been following us around?”

      “For a long time, apparently. If he helped the King, then I’d say since long before we left the city.” Ignis furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

      “Well, he did a pretty good job keeping out of sight with that outfit. It’s pretty intense if you ask me.” Prompto shivered while staring at the beak-like mask.

      “He would’ve been in the news if he walked around like that,” said Noctis. “Maybe he wore something more normal.” 

      “In either case, I suggest we accept their help for the time being,” Ignis said as they approached Keycatrich Trench. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t suspicious of Ultor. But if Cor trusts him, then we should be fine.”

Ahead, several Magitek soldiers were stationed. You mentally checked off their locations as you scanned the area, confirming that all of them were where they were supposed to be. You motioned everyone to huddle behind a boulder.

      “There is a turret further ahead.” You nodded to the area under a small cliff. “I suggest warping there and taking care of it first, Noctis, while the rest of us handle those stationed nearby.”

      “How do you know there’s a turret?” Ignis raised an eyebrow at you.

      “I know mostly everything.” You glanced at him and saw skepticism on the man’s face. “If you disagree, feel free to offer an alternative.”

You could tell you hit a nerve when Ignis’s eyebrow twitched. He always took pride in the things he did, and you always took pride in poking it every now and then. At least, from before. This was the first time for him _this time_.

      “No, this should do,” Ignis turned his attention back to the soldiers and adjusted his glasses. “Though I would add that we should flank them and push them toward the bottom of the cliff.”

      “Will do.” You removed the curved pole from behind your waist, the sunlight glancing off the glossed black surface. You shuffled a hand into your poncho and pulled a shimmering cord out from one of the satchels on your hip. You stretched the cord between both ends of the pole and gave it a few plucks to test the tension. The others gave you a puzzled look as you stood up and moved to the side of the boulder. You unlatched the lid of the quiver resting on the back of your waist and pulled out three arrows, readying one of them on your recurve longbow and holding the other two with your last two fingers.

      “A bow and arrow?” Prompto questioned. You took a deep breath and drew your arm back. With a slow exhale, you released the arrow. An unnatural burst of wind that smelled of fennel flowers followed it, catching the men off-guard as it almost knocked them over. Just as they peered past you, the arrow had shredded through three Magitek soldiers. A few seconds later, there was an explosion some distance further. The fiery carcass of a Mech collapsed after your arrow struck it.

      “Might want to get to it before I do everything for you.” You positioned one of the arrows in your hand onto the bow, ready to fire a second shot. Noctis was still staring at your work when you turned your head toward him. “Or was there something else you had in mind?”

Noctis shook his head and exchanged looks with the others. They nodded in turn before readying their weapons.

      “Let’s do it.” 

While still looking at Noctis, you released the arrow and immediately fired the last arrow in your hand. Two more bursts of air followed consecutively, with more soldiers collapsing in a heap. Noctis charged forward and threw his sword toward the turret, warping behind the soldier before slashing it down. The others followed suit, beginning their assault on the MTs that sprung to life. You turned your attention to another Mech in the distance. Once the others were preoccupied with defeating the remaining soldiers, you lowered your bow and jutted out your arm with two fingers facing out. A spear of wind shot out and immediately pierced the Mech, causing it to burst into flames and crumple into a heap of scrap metal. You didn’t notice Ignis staring in shock before you sent another attack at the MTs in the area of the destroyed Mechs. They fell to the ground torn to pieces, the red glow from their eyes fading out.

At the sound of nearby gunfire, you looked to see Noctis using the turret to mow down the last few soldiers. You approached them as they stowed their weapons away. Gladiolus walked toward you brandishing a wide grin.

      “That bow packs some serious power! Where’d you get it?”

      “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” you said handing it over for the towering man to view. He held it in his hand, feeling the weight of it and stroking the bowstring.

      “Try me,” he chuckled. “What? Is it from a Behemoth?”

      “No, but the arrows are.” You produced an arrow and held it out. Prompto walked up and grabbed it gingerly in his fingers.

      “No way! This is from a Behemoth??” Prompto felt along the arrow shaft, noting its strength despite being so lightweight. He handed it to Noctis, who twirled it in his hands.

      “The horn at least. The bow is dragonbone.” All eyes were on you as you took the arrow back from a slack jawed Noctis.

      “A dragon? Do you mean a Jormungand?” Ignis inquired. “Dragons have long been extinct.”

      “A bow made from a Jormungand would be too flexible to use properly. If anything, it’d be better used as a martial staff or riding crop.” Gladiolus handed back your bow and you strapped it behind you. “But it is made from dragonbone. Just because they’re not around anymore doesn’t mean it didn’t come from one.”

You gazed at Ignis as he hummed in response, thinking he might look into this piece of information when he had the time. He felt a vague feeling of déjà vu as he looked at your eyes behind the openings of the visor. But he was bothered by what he saw you do during the fight. Ignis initially thought that the abnormal bursts of wind came from the bow or the arrows, which could have been enchanted with advanced magic. Though after seeing that power come directly from you, he had no idea what to think. Even if King Regis had granted you the power of the Crystal, wind magic simply did not exist. Not to mention with His Majesty’s passing, the only ones who could harness the Crystal’s power now would be Noctis and them. He would need more time to ponder over this if he were to make any sense of it, unless he confronted you directly. 

A wide range of emotions crossed over Ignis’s face, though subtle enough for the others not to notice. This was the first time you saw this. **_The_ ** first time. You felt your stomach drop and panic tickle the back of your mind.

_What is it? What’s wrong? He’s bothered by something, but what? This hasn’t happened before…_

Cor cleared his throat, bringing you and Ignis out of your respective thoughts.

      “Let’s continue, we’re almost there.”

You led the way as Cor dropped back with the other men. Gladiolus was the first to speak. 

      “That guy is pretty skilled with that bow. Hard to believe he took out a Mech that easily.”

      “Indeed. This is actually the first time I’ve seen him in action,” Cor regarded the other man.

      “Wait, you mean you’ve never fought together before?” Noctis queried.

      “No. Whenever anything came up back in Insomnia, he always showed up. He’d say that he’d take care of it, disappear for a while, then come back saying not to worry anymore.”

      “Seriously? That’s pretty suspicious if you ask me.” Gladiolus stroked his chin. “How did you know _he_ wasn’t actually the cause of the problems and just fixed them with a snap of his fingers? Seems like a pretty easy way to gain someone’s trust.”

      “I had the same doubts at first. But there were plenty of eyewitnesses who confirmed what happened every time. Ultor fought in the war against the Niffs. A lot of the refugees, including my men, survived thanks to him. It also seems he helped tremendously with evacuating a significant number of citizens from Crown City when it fell.” 

      “That seems like a reasonable alibi,” Noctis added. “I mean, what would be the point of evacuating people from a city you attacked?”

      “Exactly! So, he’s gotta be on our side… Right?” Prompto was hopeful that you were.

      “We will need to confirm ourselves if we’re still doubtful.” said Ignis. Cor remembered your words from earlier and held his tongue. He knew any reservations the group had about you needed to be quelled by you yourself. Just as you did with him long ago.

You soon approached where the Mechs and MTs formerly stood, completely decimated from your attacks. You separated from the group and started searching the wreckage. 

      “What is it?” Cor halted the others.

      “Go on ahead, I’ll be there in a moment.” You scavenged your first arrow from the carcass of the Mech. It wasn’t damaged and might as well have been in perfect condition otherwise. You stepped over MT remains and got to the side of the trench and yanked out another arrow. Just as you were reaching for your last lodged arrow, a gloved hand grabbed it and pulled it out before examining it.

      “Fascinating,” said Ignis as he examined the arrowhead. “Not only is this still in perfect condition, but the arrowhead appears to be intact. What is it made out of?” You heart nearly stopped. Yet another unexpected event had happened and you were suddenly flooded with fear.

 _Everything was always the same. Why is it all changing_ **_now_ ** _? Even the smallest things made a significant difference in the long run. This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all._

      “Ultor? Apologies, but are you well?” You were startled out of your trance and peered at Ignis. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed as he held your arrow in front of you.

      “I’m fine, thank you,” you managed to say in an even voice. You reached for the arrow in Ignis’s hand and stowed it back in your quiver. “Let’s be on our way.” As you walked past Ignis, he made note of how tense your body was. Something was up, and he needed answers soon. He’d need to confront you once he got the chance. 

You made the resolve to continue like you always did, hoping that the deviating events would stop as long as you kept to the “script”. You all approached an entrance in the trench that led down to an old shelter. The temperature dropped slightly as the group went in.

      “This is where we go our separate ways,” Cor reached into his pocket. “Take this key. It unlocks the doors to the other tombs. Seek them out, and lay claim to the power they hold. You’ll need it. Ultor knows where all of them are.”

      “And what will you do?” Noctis asked as he received the key.

      “Keep an eye on the Niffs. Find out what they’re up to. But you should focus on your own task.” He turned and walked out, leaving the five of you to begin your search. You were the first to walk in, leading the other four down into the cavern.

You walked briskly through the passages. The others had a difficult time keeping up, especially with Prompto hesitating at every dark corner or jumping at every single sound. He was lagging behind a fair distance from the others. Just as you were passing a dead end, the ceiling rumbled. You took a few steps back and waited until a large rock fell right before you. When you were about to continue, there was another rumble– an _unexpected_ rumble. Gladiolus turned around, looking for where the next hit would be.

      “Prompto! Watch out!” he yelled. Sediment sprinkled just over Prompto’s head before a massive boulder dislodged from above. Gladiolus, Ignis, and Noctis barely took two steps before they felt a rush of a jasmine-scented wind shove them back. Prompto barely registered what was happening before he was tackled to the ground. A crash quickly followed, and the air was filled with dust and shouts of his name. He was stunned to find that he had not been smashed into a pancake and was instead in a constricting embrace. Prompto heard a soft groan underneath him as he tried to wiggle out. The other three men maneuvered around the stone and approached just as you relinquished your hold on the trembling young man.

      “Oh my gosh! Are you ok?!” Prompto’s hands were shaking as he hovered them over your side, unsure of what to do.

      “You guys alright?” Gladiolus leaned over and inspected both of you. “I told you to keep an eye out!”

      “Sorry! I didn’t think something that big would fall!” Prompto motioned toward the boulder before turning his attention back to you. “Thanks for saving me, Ultor…” You propped yourself onto your elbows and slowly sat up. Your right shoulder was aching from hitting the ground and your left ankle was beginning to throb and swell in your boot. A prominent scrape was left where you were struck by the stone right before it fell.

      “Are you hurt, Prompto?” You glanced over his body, looking for any notable injuries.

      “No! I’m fine!” he replied shaking his head. You internally sighed in relief. That was too close. You reached out to Prompto and dusted off the bits of dirt in his hair. He froze and quietly stammered at your supposed unnatural action.

      “Good. We should keep going. We’re almost to the tomb.” You straightened your left leg and placed your weight on your right foot, pushing off your hands to a standing position. You stifled a groan as you steadied yourself, your left foot shuddering when you tried to add weight to it. Though you were in a decent amount of pain, you were grateful you made it in time. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you were beginning to think that things would soon no longer be predictable as they once were. And it terrified you.

      “Are you kidding?” Noctis’s skeptical voice brought you back. He was motioning at your left ankle. Your subtle nursing of your injury did not go unnoticed by the group. “You need something for that. Ignis, we have a Potion, right?”

      “Yes. One moment.” Ignis searched his suit jacket and produced a bottle filled with blue glowing liquid. He stepped forward and offered it to you. You held up your gloved hand in refusal.

      “No need. You need your curatives more than I do.”

      “Nonsense!” Ignis had an incredulous look on his face. “You must be treated immediately before it gets worst.”

      “Yeah, this isn’t the time for your pride to get in the way,” Gladiolus said in an annoyed tone, arms crossed. “Just take it.”

      “I suppose I should have been more specific,” you replied in a strained voice. You reached into one of the smaller satchels around your hips and pulled out a small vial filled with clear liquid. “You should keep your curatives, as I have plenty of my own.”

You shook the vial and it began to glow, not unlike that of the Potion in Ignis’s hand but it was emitting a significantly brighter light. Their eyes were entranced by the radiance being shaken in your hand. You reached your other hand into your hood and slightly loosened the strap of your mask, just enough to move the bottom of it away from your chin. Most of your face was still concealed, but they could see the sides of your cheeks and part of your lips. With a _pop_ , you uncorked the vial with your thumb and slid it under the mask to reach your mouth.  

      “Would it not be easier if you removed your mask, Ultor?” Ignis’s comment was made partially in concern with how inconvenient your chosen action was, but it was mostly out of curiosity with what you looked like.

      “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Though it was mostly to yourself, just barely above a whisper, only Ignis managed to hear your retort in your natural, undistorted voice. And he found it was intrinsically _feminine_.

You tilted your head back and emptied the vial. As you swallowed, the glow slithered down your throat and split in two; one shot to the area of your bruised right shoulder, the other down to your left sprained ankle. Relief sunk into your injuries as the glow quickly dissipated. You exhaled, rolling your shoulder and tapping your left toes to the ground while you refastened the strap of your mask.

      “Shall we?” You placed the empty vial back into its satchel and walked past the group. They gaped at each other for a moment before following after you.

      “Wait! What was **that**??” Prompto was the first to speak up in an excited voice. “That wasn’t a Potion, or was it? That was pretty cool!” You slowed down as you produced another one of the vials from your satchel, holding it out for him to look at. The liquid inside looked no different from water. You shook the vial and the liquid produced the same bright light as before. The other three men caught up and admired the illumination.

      “The best way to describe this is it’s the raw form of a Potion,” you said placing the vial in Prompto’s hands. He held it up and gazed at it before offering it to Noctis. “It’s different from the kind you find from current sellers, as those typically undergo extensive refinement.”

      “Refinement? Is there a difference in quality between the two?” Ignis asked as he was handed the vial. You glanced at his eyes reflecting the glow and nearly tripped from admiring his fascination.

      “Yes. To start with, when the appropriate raw materials are combined to create a particular curative, you get something like this,” You pointed at the vial. “A clear substance that must be agitated before it becomes ‘active’. The refinement adds certain ingredients to maintain that ‘active’ state and allows the substance to take a gaseous form when exposed to air. That way, it can be immediately used without the hassle of manually activating it or consuming it orally. That’s why the curatives you purchase already have that signature glow to them. However, the raw form of a curative is significantly more effective in providing relief than its refined form. The additional ingredients added during refinement hinder the natural properties of the herbs used.”

      “So, why bother refining it in the first place?” Gladiolus asked as he grabbed the vial from Ignis. “Wouldn’t it be better to leave it as is?”

      “The reason why it’s refined is because of the undesirable side effects from consuming the raw form.” They looked at you with slight apprehension as Gladiolus returned the vial to you. The glow had dispersed and the liquid returned to its water-like appearance.

      “What kind of side effects…?” Noctis slowly asked. You placed your hand under your chin. You hadn’t been asked this before. You hummed before responding.

      “The best way I could put it is…” You paused as bile threatened to creep up your throat. You took slow, deep breaths to quell it before finishing your answer. “… Well, imagine you consumed much too much alcohol. Borderline alcohol poisoning, if you would.” Ignis comically raised his eyebrows and you bit your lip to keep yourself from laughing. “The excruciating nausea experienced during the resulting hangover is similar to the side effects of consuming the raw form of a curative. The fluid would already be absorbed into your body, but everything else would be expelled orally. Or at least you’d be dry heaving for the rest of the day.”

      “So that means that you’ll…” Noctis started walking a bit further from you.

      “I’m more than used to this. I’ve been creating and consuming my own curatives for so long I never feel the side effects anymore.” Your lie threatened to be exposed as your stomach silently twisted inside you, begging to be emptied despite not containing anything. “I will not allow any of you to consume raw curatives unless the circumstances were **_especially_ ** dire.”

      “Th… Thanks…?” Prompto scratched the back of his head while giving you a worried look.

      “Don’t worry,” you chuckled. The distortion your mask produced made the young man flinch. “I’ve also made plenty of curatives that have been properly refined.” You removed a satchel hanging from your hip and opened it to the others. The familiar glow pouring out of the the bag brought relief to Prompto’s face. “I’d hate it if any of you were projectile vomiting all day.”

      “Us too…” Gladiolus mumbled.

You walked further ahead, leading the men once again. Once you were far enough, Noctis motioned Ignis and Gladiolus closer.

      “So, earlier… You guys felt it too, right?” 

      “You mean that gust of wind out of nowhere?” Gladiolus glanced at you, checking to see if you heard anything. You did, but you continued on your way with your arms tucked under your poncho, hands rubbing your stomach unbeknownst to the others.

      “Something like that would make sense if we were outside,” Ignis said crossing his arms. “But we’re _underground_. That shouldn’t even be possible.”

      “So what, did my old man give Ultor power from the Crystal?” Noctis stared at you as you opened a metal door, the screech of the hinges echoing off the walls. You disappeared for a moment, returning with a Potion in hand that you tossed to him. He caught it and you continued walking.

      “But there’s no magic that controls wind, that’s the thing,” Gladiolus answered. “Otherwise, you’d be able to do it too.” Prompto squeezed between Noctis and Ignis, not wanting to be left out.

      “Not to mention with what recently happened… We’re the only ones who should be able to use the Crystal’s power now. I also noticed something very peculiar before we entered this place,” Ignis drew out. “When we first saw Ultor fight, he was using a bow and arrow, correct? At some point, he was only motioning his arm and he was causing more damage faster than I could keep up with. Part of me thinks that his weapons are just for show.”

Goblins suddenly appeared from the darkness and began attacking. You brought out your longbow and began using it as a short staff, quickly slaying the daemons with the dragonbone. The men paid extra attention to your attacks, but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Once the group had cleared them and you continued on, the discussion quietly resumed.

      “So you’re saying that Ultor is some kind of… Master of invisible forces??” Prompto sounded a bit too excited at the prospects. Three hands covered his mouth when they noticed you tilt your head back slightly. You definitely overheard their conversation and knew that you’d eventually have to come clean. But not yet. Feigning ignorance to their hushed whispers, you approached another metal door. Metal grated against metal as you tugged it open. 

      “Invisible forces, wind, or something else,” Ignis lowered his voice as he removed his hand. “It may be in our best interest to find _something_ out. This is too out of place to leave alone.”

The rest of the group had filed into the room, only to find you had stopped in your tracks after entering. Your hands were beginning to sweat in your gloves and your stomach was twisting and flipping evermore. There was just one more doorway and you’d soon be at the tomb, but you had noticed something thin and wispy floating in the air that kept you from advancing. This **_definitely_ ** was not here before, and it took all of your willpower to keep from running back to the entrance of the abandoned shelter. You slowly searched the corners of the room, looking for any odd “lumps” or “appendages”.

      “Ultor? Is something wrong?” Prompto lightly tapped your shoulder, feeling more bold with you now after you had saved his life. You violently flinched away before making a poor attempt to regain your composure, needlessly straightening your poncho. You received concerned and apprehensive looks as you cleared your throat. Prompto looked especially remorseful for trying to be more casual with you.

      “It’s… nothing,” you breathed out. You pointed to the doorway across the room. “Once we go through there, it’ll only be a little more until we reach the tomb.” You held your hand out, motioning the men to go first. Ignis noticed you were trembling ever so slightly. However, he couldn’t let that distract him from his sudden suspicion that you were leading them into something.

      “We would have hoped that we could bother you to show us the way a bit longer,” Ignis spoke up, noting how your shoulders were slightly brought up. “If that’s alright? We truly appreciate your help thus far.”

_Damn you, Ignis. And especially me, you scared piece of shi–_

      “Ultor? Is something the matter?” Ignis tilted his head at you and held an intense look of judgement; you almost frowned in response, just enough for it to relay to him through your eyes. Your body language was screaming ‘ _I’m not taking another step and you can’t make me_ ’. At this point, even the other three were starting to suspect something was up. You tried to swallow, but found that your mouth was drier than a desert. All you could manage was shaking your head before taking tentative steps toward the other door.

You reached for the doorknob and paused, suddenly hearing a shuffle. Your head shot up just in time to see a Tarantula daemon jump onto your face, easily knocking you backward. Fear took over and a distorted shriek from your mask alarmed the others more than the ambush. The nimble legs of the spider wrapped around your head as it tried to tear through your mask with its fangs. You couldn’t even throw it off, much less get a solid grip on it. All your body did was flail fearfully at the lump on you. The moment seemed to last forever until the hold suddenly loosened and the Tarantula dissipated in a blackened cloud. You blinked the tears out of your eyes and quickly stood up, scanning the room while taking shaky breaths. Prompto still had his revolver pointed at where you just were on the ground, indicating he was your merciful savior. He unsummoned his weapon and shared a bewildered expression with everyone else.

      “I… don’t want to seem rude, Ultor, but…” Ignis started. “Do you have reservations with–”

      “You’re seriously afraid of _spiders_?” Gladiolus cut in, walking toward you with sudden amusement. “Marshal spoke so highly of you, but I’m starting to wonder if he was wrong!” He barked out a laugh and slapped you on the back, earning you a cough from the force. “No wonder you didn’t want to go first!”

If your face wasn’t flushed from the attack, it certainly was now from the shame and embarrassment Gladiolus subjected you to. This certainly eased up their impressions on you, as Noctis failed to hide a smirk and Prompto gave you a sympathetic smile. Ignis fixed his glasses but you saw the slight upturn of his lips. Well, _this_ certainly wasn’t supposed to happen. You turned on your heel and nearly broke down the door before walking at a faster pace, not caring for the reprimands the– now regretful– bespectacled man was giving the others. Once you were far enough ahead, you removed your mask and took deep breaths; your hood was still drawn over your head. Your tears had fogged up the inside and you could use some fresh air– well, as fresh as the air could get underground. The others had noticed you hold your mask in your left hand as you trampled further down a hallway. Prompto had half a mind to try to catch up and get a look at your face while he still could, but Gladiolus held a hand on his shoulder.

      “No need to ruffle his feathers anymore than they already are,” he chuckled. “I’m sure we’ll see who’s behind the mask soon enough.”

      “You think he’s wearing it to hide some horrible scar on his face?” Prompto asked, imagining a man’s face with horrendous burns across the surface.

      “Or maybe it’s for the aesthetic to make up for the fact that he’s got a serious case of arachnophobia.” Noctis added with a grin.

      “That’s enough, you two,” Ignis scolded. “As I recall, neither of you are fond of such things yourselves so it’s really not your place to say.”

      “Sorry.” 

      “Well, he’s only human.” Gladiolus mused.

They turned into the hallway you went down, only to hear footsteps heading toward them.

 **Fast**.

You suddenly appeared, hauling ass with your mask back in place. Though you were sprinting faster than anyone they’ve seen, you seemed oddly slower for some reason, but that didn’t distract from the fact you were running like your life depended on it. Just as Prompto was about to call out to you, an Arachne barrelled down the hallway after you. Mama wasn’t too happy that her kids were gone.

      “Whoa, whoa, WHOA!” Prompto immediately summoned his revolver and began shooting at the arms desperately trying to grab hold of you. Gladiolus and Noctis charged forward to attack. You dove down onto your stomach and slid between them as they struck above you, slicing off two appendages that nearly stabbed into you. You felt a hand firmly grasp your arm and haul you to your feet. Ignis patted your shoulder before joining the fray. Hands over your ears, you cowered back until you were well behind Prompto. He looked like he was saying something to you, but all you could hear was your blood pumping in your ears and echoes of a dreadful memory. You fell against the wall of the hallway and dropped into a fetal position, head ducked between your knees and hands still over your ears, your body shaking violently. 

 _Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back._ _Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back. Don’t take me back. Don’t take–_

      “It’s fine. You’re fine now. It’s over. You’re still here.”

You felt a gentle touch on your shoulder, tentatively held there as if worried you would shatter into a million pieces. It took a moment for you to realize your terror-riddled pleas had spilled out from your lips. You took a shaky breath and slowly peeked your eyes up.

Ignis was kneeling next to you, eyes full of worry. He removed his hand from your shoulder as you lifted your head, noticing a Barrier was raised around the five of you. You made eye contact with the man before glancing forward. The corpse of the Arachne was disappearing in a black plume, along with your body tremors.

      “Hey, you alright?” Gladiolus moved to kneel in front of you. His rough features were laced with concern, and even a bit of guilt. “Listen… I’m sorry about earlier. I had no idea it was this bad.” You slowly shook your head, the beak of the mask awkwardly hitting your knees.

      “No, Gladiolus,” you said softly. “I sincerely apologize for my… cowardice.”

      “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about!” Prompto stood between Gladiolus and Ignis, offering his hand. “Everyone’s got something they’re scared of. Like me; I absolutely can’t stand being in the dark! I’ve had a heart attack nearly every 5 minutes since we’ve been in here!” You couldn’t help but titter as you reached for his hand. He pulled you up, pausing for a moment before letting go. Prompto thought about Noctis’s comment from earlier– your hand felt smaller, almost _dainty_ , in his.

      “Next time, how about we handle the spiders?” Noctis suggested. “And you can handle everything else?”

      “… If you insist, Noctis,” Relief was apparent in your voice. “Then I graciously accept your offer.”

      “You can stick with ‘Noct’ while you’re at it. No need to be so formal, remember?”

      “And ‘Gladio’ too. It feels like I’m in trouble when you say my full name.” Gladio stood up and slapped your back, though not nearly as hard as before. Ignis rose and gave you a reassuring smile. Your cheeks grew warm and you were grateful for your mask hiding it. Your attention was brought back to the Barrier still erected around all of you. You pointed up at it before looking at Noct.

      “Why is this up?”

      “It’s not me. It just suddenly came up the minute we got near you.” You stared at the Barrier above the five of you. With your finger still pointed, you tested the magic by slowly twirling your finger. The spell began to dissipate in tandem with your movements. When it was completely removed you dropped your hand, slightly confuddled.

      “Hmm. What the hell, me...” You said it more to yourself, but it was loud enough for the others to overhear. The sudden informal statement made Prompto and Noct stifle a laugh, while Gladio didn’t bother hiding his amusement and guffawed out loud. Ignis simply chuckled behind his hand and made little effort to compose himself. You couldn’t help but grin at your slip-up. All of you continued forward, the others now slightly more comfortable with your presence.

After crawling through a crevice in the next room, you soon reached the Tomb. Noct approached the door and unlocked it with the key given by Cor. The sides slowly parted, revealing the marble likeness of The Conqueror centered in the chamber. As Noct held his hand out, the Axe of the Conqueror rose in shimmering blue light before bonding with the young Lucian Prince. Two Royal Arms were now in his possession, and there were 11 more you were to guide him to. The group began to exit the chamber, discussing the concept of the power of the Old Kings and how to utilize it. You lingered behind, gazing at the intricate details of the stonework.

      “This will be the last time I come here.” You placed a hand on the figure’s forehead, almost endearingly. You knew the long deceased King wouldn’t be able to hear you, yet you continued for your own consolation. “You know, there’s a term nowadays that perfectly describes you. You wouldn’t have understood it at the time if I tried explaining it to you… You always took everything so literally.”

You scoffed at the thought, remembering back to when you struggled to explain what “tease” meant when he was called that by a woman who would later be his Queen.

      “In these times, you’re what they call a ‘try-hard’. You certainly did your damndest to make yourself into a ‘glorious and gallant King’. And you became just that once you stopped trying and actually got to work.” Your voice nearly broke as you recalled the majestic image of the King raising his Axe in victory, the continent united and an age of peace brought forth.

You removed your hand and gave a small bow. “Farewell, dear King. Perhaps when all of this is over, your souls will finally ascend to the stars.” You straightened and turned to leave the chamber. Once you stepped past the threshold the doors slid shut, the echo emphasizing the finality of your meeting. You weren’t surprised to find the others waiting for you. Ignis stood with his arms crossed.

      “… I suppose now is as good a time as any,” you said as you mirrored the Advisor’s action. “You all obviously have questions, but I can’t guarantee you’ll be satisfied with my answers. Go on, then.”

      “Very well,” Ignis began. “How long have you been serving the Kingdom? Forgive us for eavesdropping, but from your conversation in the chamber it seems as though you knew The Conqueror _personally_.”

      “The term ‘serving’ isn’t quite accurate. I’ve been more of a… warden? I’ve been doing this for a _very long time_.” Ignis raised his eyebrows in skepticism as you continued. “As for The Conqueror… Well, that’s a little more complicated. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

      “Do you really have the power to control invisible forces?” Prompto stepped forward, his eyes threatening to sparkle. “There’s no way anyone could move as fast as you without some sort of magic.”

      “I do have the ability to use magic, as you saw with the Barrier from earlier, but this one in particular cannot be harnessed.”

      “Then how–” 

      “What did you mean when you said ‘This will be the last time I come here’?” Noct interjected. “Cor had the key to the tombs and even if you have helped out the Kingdom before, it’s hard to believe someone would just give it to you like that.”

      “That is because…” You thought for a moment, trying to think of the simplest explanation. “To make it short, I have been here before but not during _this time_.” Noct looked confused with your statement. “This is, in a sense, related to The Conqueror. Forgive me for the short response.” 

      “You know most of what will come? So, that means… You _knew_ the invasion of Insomnia would happen… And you didn’t stop it.” Noct’s words weren’t in the form of a question, but in accusation. He knew he was grasping at straws, but the more he thought about it, the more his anger began to cloud his logic and reasoning. “My father is **_dead_ ** because of you.” 

      “Noctis…” Ignis’s tone was a warning to the Prince, but even he couldn’t help but share the same emotions for his lost Uncle. Ignis placed a hand on the Noct’s shoulder, but it was slapped away. 

      “… Yes, I did know the invasion would happen,” you admitted. “I knew when it would happen and I could not stop it. Twelve years ago, I knew when Tenebrae would be invaded, yet I could not stop it.”

From times before, when you gave this same explanation, Noct had punched you in his anger. He always had trouble controlling his emotions, and quite honestly you couldn’t blame him. You were prepared for the strike, but you were shocked to see Gladio swiftly advance and sucker punch you to the left side of your face. You stumbled and caught your footing, feeling a brief numbness before the pain began to thunder in your cheek. A groan pushed through your throat as you shifted your jaw from side to side. You barely heard the clambering of the others as you held your hand up to keep them from approaching. You straightened up and faced the man who nearly broke your jaw.

      “Why didn’t you stop it?” Gladio’s fist was still clenched as he glared daggers at you. Even he found this was very uncharacteristic of himself. He had approached you before he even realized what he was doing. But for some reason, he felt as though he _had_ to do it. Otherwise Noct would have been even more overwhelmed with emotional stress. So, Gladio struck you in place of Noct– for the Lonely Prince’s sake.

      “I was not aware of the real identity of General Glauca until after Insomnia fell. It was due to my incompetence that I did not realize he was Titus Drautos sooner–”

Gladio send another punch to the same cheek, this time for his own sake. The eye lens shattered and you were knocked to the ground. You barely registered landing hard on your hands and knees. Noctis had stepped forward to keep Gladio from going any further, much to your surprise. You felt something ooze down your swollen cheek and your mouth was filled with the taste of copper. You tried to clench your teeth but found the alignment was amiss; your jaw was dislocated. With a gloved hands, you delicately lifted the bottom of your mask and stuck your thumbs into your mouth and onto the back molars, breathing deeply to calm yourself. As you grasped the sides of your mandibles and slowly pushed down, you felt the jolt of your jaw popping back into place. There was still a fair amount of pain present, indicating there were most likely fractures. You massaged the sides and pulled the mask back down.

Smaller shards from the broken eye lens tumbled out of the frame. You were lucky none of them got into your eye. The cool air of the cave stung, and your vision was slowly closing from the lump growing underneath. You felt cool hands gently enclose around your arm to try to help you up. You waved them off as you staggered to your feet. You met Prompto’s eyes, seeing them filled with a mix of emotions. He clearly didn’t condone Gladio’s reaction, but at the same time he could empathize. He looked like he wanted to say something, but closed his mouth as he stepped back. You turned once again to the Shield, noticing Ignis holding his muscled arm back and Noct glancing anxiously between the two of you.

      “You can’t be serious,” Gladio snarled. “You can’t honestly expect us to believe that!” Though he had only met the former Kingsglaive captain a few times, he had trusted him in protecting King Regis and the Kingdom. It was difficult for him to believe that someone so loyal to the Crown would betray them.

      “No, I don’t,” you rasped. Your mouth felt like it was full of cotton. You yanked up the bottom of the mask again only to spit blood out and pulled it back down. “And unfortunately for all of us, I can’t change that.”

 _Not anymore_.

      “It’s my fault Queen Sylva Nox Fleuret was murdered and Tenebrae was lost to the Empire. It’s my fault I could not protect your loved ones. It’s my fault that I could not stop the chaos that surged throughout the world.” You stopped before you nearly spilled everything out at once. The overwhelming guilt from your built up failures threatened to incinerate you from the inside out. You bit your tongue to keep yourself from continuing, nearly drawing blood.

Gladio gave an exasperated grunt and shrugged Ignis off before stomping away, making his way back to the entrance. Noct gave you an uncertain look as he turned and followed suit. You glanced at Prompto who was still lingering near you, worried about your injury and feeling slightly conflicted with whom to go with. You nodded him toward the two who left, not wanting to cause a rift between the comrades. He tentatively proceeded after a moment. Ignis stayed behind, visibly conflicted with what just transpired. 

      “Go on,” You laboriously motioned him forward. “It’s not good for any of you to be separated.” 

      “I’m sure they’ll survive if I’m gone for a moment or two.” He walked toward you and pulled out a Potion. You pushed it back to him as you gazed into his eyes. 

      “I don’t need it.” You stopped Ignis before he could argue. “I know you share the same sentiments as them. It’s very obvious– to me, at least. Let me keep this as a friendly reminder of my failures.” He stared at you and hesitated before taking a step back, feeling as though he couldn’t persuade you. If you were being hopeful, you would have thought he gave you a look of pity.

      “I don’t know what you’ve seen or experienced,” he said carefully. “But it’s obvious we’ve only scratched the surface. I have but one more question to ask you, if you would allow it?”

Had anyone else asked, you would have refused only because they would have been left with even more questions. However, this was Ignis. Rational, logic-oriented Ignis. And you couldn’t help but accept his request. “Given the situation, I will grant you a genuine answer.”

      “How can we trust you?” As expected, it was straightforward. There was no hint of malice in his words, nor was there a push for more information. It was a simple question meant for you to confirm both of your expectations.

      “It’s up to all of you whether or not you put your trust in me. I won’t force you.” You took a step forward and peered into his green eyes. “But I’m going to do everything in my power to protect all of you, even if it means sacrificing everything that I am.”

Ignis suddenly saw the flash of a scene. He and his comrades stood in an abandoned Crown City, the world shrouded in darkness. But it was not from his perspective. From where he stood, he looked up and saw an aged version of himself dressed in Kingsglaive attire. A prominent scar was over his left eye and he wore a tinted visor. Slender hands reached up and cradled his face. A woman’s voice echoed in Ignis’s mind.

      “ _I’m going to do everything in my power to protect all of you, even if it means sacrificing everything that I am._ ” A tear fell from Ignis’s older persona, mouth opening in protest but fingertips were gently placed on top to hush him. “ _I can’t lose any of you…!_ ”

And just as soon as it came, the vision vanished. Ignis was brought back to the cave. He looked down at the shrouded figure in front of him, wearing a beak-like mask with a broken eye lens. Your gaze pierced through his very being, suddenly filling him with overwhelming grief and heartache. You cocked your head, noticing he was distracted by something.

      “We should go.” You interrupted his thoughts as you walked past him. “You may not want me to be around, but you don’t have a choice. I’ll be here until the very end.”

Ignis took a moment before following you. His suspicion of you was replaced by curiosity.

 

* * *

 

      You and Ignis returned to the entrance of the shelter just as Noct took a phone call. Gladio gave you a pointed look, almost in a questioning way. He noticed your eye was nearly shut from the injury he gave you, and he wondered why you didn’t bother taking a Potion for it. The thought was put aside as the Prince finished the call.

      “What’s up?” Prompto asked.

      “People to see, bases to burn. Let’s go see Monica at the outpost.”

      “It will need to wait until the morning. It’s already dark out; the outpost and the nearest Safe Haven are too far to traverse by foot. We’ll end up encountering daemons before we reach either location.” You walked past the group and turned to them. “There is, however, a hidden Sanctuary nearby that will not take long to reach.”

      “What do you mean a Sanctuary?” Gladio inquired. His previous anger was gone, slowly replaced by shame from striking you out of impulse. But he had to maintain the fact that he still didn’t completely trust you. 

      “Sanctuaries were places for travelers to take shelter back in the old days. It’s comparable to a Safe Haven, but it’s a larger space typically located in cliffs.” You pointed to a rocky hillside not too far away. “That is the one I’ll take you to.”

      “I’ve never heard of Sanctuaries before. Were they never documented?” Ignis inquired.

      “They were, but thanks to some foregone Zealots, who wanted to use the Sanctuaries for unsavory activities, all records of Sanctuary locations were destroyed in order to keep the fanatics’ bases hidden. Lucky for you, I know where all of them are– cult-free and long abandoned, of course.”

      “You’ve been to all of them?” asked Prompto.

      “I have,” you said as you walked on. The others followed closely behind. You noticed Ignis whispering to Gladio, who in turn responded with a grunt and pocketed something. “There are more of them scattered across the land than Safe Havens, and they’re reasonably more secure in some cases.”

      “And you know about the cults because you’ve… been around ‘for a very long time’, right?” Noct encroached the subject from earlier. As he thought back, he began to feel regretful at how he reacted. He knew that his father wouldn’t have gone down without a fight, and he knew that the King had stayed behind to make sure his son made it out before the chaos ensued. His misplaced anger was more aimed toward himself for not defending his home. Noct even almost punched you but Gladio had beat him to it, taking all of his motivation to do it too. He remembered his body automatically moving to be between his Shield and you, and how oddly protective he felt during that moment. You had tilted your head back, slightly relieved that Noct was speaking to you. 

      “Yes… Because I’ve been around _for a very long time_.”

As you walked further out, you stopped and looked to the boulders off a ways. You raised your hand, halting the party before you headed in that direction. Ignis looked to where you were facing and noticed slight movement before summoning his daggers.

      “Iggy, what is it?” The words barely left Noct’s mouth before a roar filled the air. A Coeurl lunged from the shadows at you, shoving you hard into the ground. As it straightened they noticed that it was **massive** , almost double the size of a normal Coeurl.

      “Ultor!” Prompto shouted. He summoned his pistol and aimed for the monster pinning you down. It growled before it dipped its mouth full of razor sharp teeth to your neck. Gladio muttered a curse before charging forward with his broadsword. Ignis and Noct followed suit brandishing their own weapons. Just before the bullet Prompto shot landed, just before Ignis’s dagger sank into the Coeurl’s shoulder, just before Gladio and Noct could land their downward strikes– a Barrier surrounded you and the creature, effectively blocking their attacks and pushing the three nearby back.

      “What the hell?!” Gladio was ready to strike down again before a pulse of wind kept him from continuing.

      “Don’t attack!” you called out, holding your hands out past your head. You then grabbed the whip-like whiskers of the Coeurl and jerked them. “And you! **Knock it off**!” The creature responded by laying down on top of you, forcing the air out of your lungs.

      “Get **OFF** , you clingy little–” The rest of your chastising was muffled out as the Coeurl laid its head down with a low purr, burying your face under its large neck. It glared at the others with its golden eyes, especially Gladio. Its whiskers were dancing as the ends glowed an eerie blue, its fur standing on end as electricity filled the air.

      “Everyone, get back!” Ignis shouted as they retreated. The Coeurl raised its whiskers to unleash a lightning attack, only to be interrupted as you shoved it off of you. It snarled as you dashed toward it and held it in a chokehold.

      “They’re with me, and if you so much as make the smallest scratch on them…!” The Coeurl thrashed in your hold, but you firmly kept it in place without breaking a sweat. Ignis had a look of bewilderment while Gladio couldn’t help but stare in astonishment at your unexpected amount of strength. Noct could only stand slack jawed with his best friend who also mirrored his reaction. 

The Coeurl roared again as you removed one of your arms, still maintaining a strong grip with the other arm around its neck. You lifted the bottom of your mask with your free hand and whispered into its ear. The creature immediately ceased its struggle and slowly sat on its hind legs, its growls turning into low chirps. You released your hold around its neck and began stroking its chin. If the others hadn’t already lost their minds, they certainly did at this point. They watched you calm down the massive feline in a matter of seconds, right after you had wrestled it to the ground moments before. Even Gladio would’ve had to wear it down before even attempting to do what you just did.

Ignis was more focused on what you were whispering into its ear, noting once again how feminine your voice sounded. He had expected to hear cooes or reprimands, but from what he could catch it sounded like you were speaking a different language. However, he couldn’t quite place it. He was well-versed in a variety of languages, or if anything he could at least recognize the tones if he couldn’t understand. But it almost sounded like you were speaking in tongues. It was as fluid and smooth as any other spoken language, yet it wasn’t anything he had ever heard of before. You slid your mask back into place, wincing as it pressed against your injured jaw. The Coeurl’s tail twitched behind it, now looking at the men and purring in curiosity. Prompto trembled as he slowly pulled out his camera and took a picture.

      “Alright? Don’t hurt them. They’re friends.” The creature gave a guttural mew in response, nuzzling against your head. You turned to the others, still stroking the furry chin. “It’s alright now.”

      “Are you sure…?” Prompto was still gripping his camera as he asked. “It’s not gonna attack us?”

      “As long as you’re not aggressive,” you responded. “Which, I’m guessing one of you had the intention to attack, no?”

      “Iggy was the first to notice, I think,” Noctis answered. “But did you honestly expect us to not do anything after it just popped out of nowhere?!”

      “I was hoping you’d all listen and stay back while I approached it first, but I can understand your reactions. I suppose I should have explained beforehand that this one–” You nodded your head at the Coeurl. “– tends to loiter around this area. Coeurls are extremely territorial and protective, but you four are now an exception in her case.”

      “An exception? Care to explain?” Ignis was still wary of the situation and kept his weapons out.

      “I found Felix here when she was a newborn. Her mother had protected her from a daemon attack and as a result got infected with the Starscourge. As an act of mercy, I killed her before it completely consumed her and ended up with this one for a while.” You stopped petting the beast and placed both hands on your hips. “Felix is clingy, but she’s highly intelligent and listens. I just informed her that you’re all trustworthy.”

      “And if _Felix_ feels like doing whatever she damn well pleases?” Gladio asked incredulously.

      “She wouldn’t go against anything I say. For instance, she’s extremely apprehensive about your weapons still being out.” You motioned toward the feline’s lower back where her fur was standing on end. “Had I not stopped her, you’d all be dead. I suggest putting your weapons away to ease some of the tension she’s feeling, but you’re free to do what you want.”

No one made a move, as expected. You sighed and felt a nudge at the left side of your face. Felix gazed at your broken eye lens and sniffed your mask. She bumped her head against you and turned to the group, sniffing the air. She scanned each of them before ending with Gladio. A growl rumbled past her bared teeth as she stood up ready to pounce, making the Shield tense up and ready his stance.

      “He was in the right, little one,” you said in a low, comforting voice. You reached up and stroked Felix’s neck. “It’s fine, truly. Come now.” You continued stroking her until she reluctantly returned to her seated position. She opened her mouth and leaned toward you. Ignis almost threw one of his daggers in response, but caught himself as Felix lightly nipped at your neck and shoulder. You gave an exasperated sigh and simply stared at the giant kitten the creature turned into.

After a few moments, Noct unsummoned his sword and slowly stepped forward. Gladio tried to block him from walking past but the Prince simply pushed his arm away. Felix stopped nipping at you and stared at the young man slowly approaching the two of you. Her golden eyes pierced through Noct as he tried to steady his breathing.

      “Noct…!” Prompto whimpered as he took a few steps forward before hiding behind Ignis. The Coeurl was still as a statue as Noct stopped just a foot away. He raised a trembling hand toward the feline and held it in the air. He twitched as Felix suddenly stood up and leaned forward. The others took a step in response, but you held your hand up to halt them. You would never allow any harm to come to the young man, or any of them for that matter. The Coeurl was loyal to you, and you trusted it just as much as it trusted you.

The feline sniffed the Prince’s hand, slowly moving along his arm and eventually his face. Noct squeezed his eyes shut and stilled his breathing as Felix prodded with her wet nose. He felt Felix move away and slowly eased one of his eyes open. His heart jumped to his throat. Her face was merely an inch away from his, her warm breath lightly rustling his bangs. Noct waited with bated breath as his pulse thundered in his ears. A silent gasp escaped from Gladio’s mouth as he watched the Coeurl’s intense stare turn almost gentle. Ignis looked on in awe, amazed that this was even happening. Prompto unsummoned his revolver and found himself taking tentative steps toward the scene.

The creature suddenly tilted forward and licked Noct’s cheek with her rough tongue.

      “AUGH!” Noct jumped back and wiped his face. “That hurts!” Felix responded by leaning in and licking him again, earning another yelp of disgust. You stifled a chuckle and patted her neck. Prompto gave a short laugh in amazement. He began to approach slightly faster but stopped once the Coeurl turned her attention to him. He audibly gulped and stood frozen in his tracks.

      “It’s alright, Prompto,” you reassured him. “She’s not going to hurt you.” He barely nodded but still made no effort to move. You left Felix’s side to join the blonde, leaving Noct to stand awkwardly next to the massive beast. He felt a bit bold and took a chance to reach out and touch just below her neck. He felt the rumble of a purr as Felix leaned in slightly. A grin slowly spread across his face.

      “Careful not to do too good a job. She might lay on you and if you haven’t noticed, she’s no house cat.” You noticed Noct pause before putting less effort in petting the Coeurl. “If you want to go closer, I’ll go with you, Prompto. I’m not going to let her hurt you.” Your voice was comforting, almost as if you were speaking to a small child. You held out your hand and waited for Prompto’s response. He glanced at your open palm and felt for a moment as though he had been in a similar situation before. He slowly placed his hand in yours, holding his breath as you grasped his and led him forward. Felix padded toward him and laid down in front of him. She could sense how nervous he was, so she decided to take a passive stance to calm him. 

      “It’s alright, see?” As you reached the Coeurl, you lifted Prompto’s hand up and placed it just above her nose. He let out a small whimper as you let go, and his hand immediately moistened with sweat. Felix simply leaned in and rubbed her face against Prompto’s chest, making him swallow a shriek at the sudden movement. She then rubbed the length of her body against the blonde, nearly knocking him over as she made a second pass.

      “Um, um, UM!” Prompto was overwhelmed with joy but was still too shocked to know what to do.

      “Alright enough, you big baby!” You lightly pushed against the large body until it ceased its action, chirping in protest. You heard a sigh of relief behind you along with a pair of half hearted laughs. Felix turned and made her way over to where Gladio and Ignis were standing. She stopped a small distance from them, staring at the weapons still in their hands.

Ignis was the first to unsummon his daggers and slowly step forward. The feline’s ears flicked toward him as she eyed his movements. He took a deep breath before speaking.

      “My apologies for making you uncomfortable, Felix,” he said. Ignis would have felt silly had he not noticed the creature nod in response. He paused to register the reaction before continuing. “I hope to be on good terms with you from this point forward, if you would have me?” Felix chirped and leaned her head toward Ignis, waiting. He reached out and stroked her head, breathing out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Gladio glanced at his greatsword before unsummoning it, noting that they were no longer in any imminent danger. Though he was ready to change his mind the moment he made eye contact with the creature. Felix moved away from Ignis and pounced on Gladio, knocking him to the ground. She bared her teeth and roared in his face.

      “Gladio!” Ignis made to run up but stopped when he saw you standing next to Felix, arms crossed and reprimanding her quietly in that same strange language. The scent of heather flower flowed past his nose toward where you stood. He glanced at where he last saw you and exchanged looks with Prompto and Noct, confirming that you were indeed where you were now. How did you get there so quickly? Ignis saw that you obviously weren’t worried, so he reluctantly watched on. The Shield was tempted to summon back his weapon and attack, but he took a gamble and instead perched back onto his elbows to stare at Felix. If you really meant what you said about the Coeurl not harming any of them, he shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Right?

      “Look, Furball.” Felix growled and hissed, but Gladio didn’t flinch. He glanced at the broken lens of your mask before turning his attention back to the Coeurl above him. “I’ve got a job to do and I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep the Prince safe.” He thought back to what Ignis whispered to him before you all left Keycatrich Trench.

 _“You know as well as I do that that was not the most graceful reaction back there. Just as we have our struggles, Ultor has his. Keep in mind, he did save Prompto’s life and also erected a Barrier, albeit unintentionally, around_ **_all_ ** _of us after we defeated the Arachne. If he hadn’t, the falling debris would have caused quite a few injuries. You know what you need to do.”_

      “I’ll admit, I lost my head back there for a moment and made a dumb decision,” he said, now addressing you more than Felix. You stared into his amber eyes as he continued. “I’ll do better to keep that in check in the future. It’s… hard to believe that everything came crashing down all in one night.”

Moments passed as Felix continued to stare down Gladio, almost considering his words. She glanced at you before you nodded your head in reassurance. The Coeurl reluctantly stepped back, allowing Gladio to sit up. With a guttural mewl she walked past the man, making sure the end of her tail smacked him in the face.

      “Don’t cause any trouble,” you called after her. “And please don’t try to eat any lost or stranded travelers again!” With one last glance at you, Felix sauntered off into the night. You turned to Gladio and offered your hand to him. He looked at you before grasping it, noting that your hand did indeed feel _small and dainty_. He was jolted from his thoughts when he was yanked up to his feet with ease. There wasn’t the usual struggle he experienced when someone tried to help him up. In fact, he felt he could’ve been easily tossed has he not caught himself.

      “ ‘ _Again_ ’ ?” Gladio asked as he dusted himself off.

      “She certainly _tried_ to eat someone once before, but I caught her before she got too close. Niflheim forces nearby chased off the local wildlife and she hadn’t eaten anything in weeks. Even though she wanders around, Felix has a strong attachment to this area. Reminds her of her mother.”

      “Is that right? Huh…” He shuffled his feet as he rubbed the back of his neck. Gladio was stiff and he wasn’t sure how well-received his indirect apology was. No matter how torn he was on the inside, he couldn’t let himself take it out on others. Not again. “Listen, I–”

      “I’m here to make sure he stays safe too,” you interrupted Gladio, nodding your head toward the Prince. He was looking through the photos Prompto took of Felix and they conversed excitedly. You made eye contact with Ignis before continuing. “But I’m also here to keep _all_ of you safe. I’m more than well aware that my role here is highly suspicious. I can’t give you the answers you need right now, so I’ll have to ask you to bear with it until it’s time.”

Gladio’s eyebrows furrowed as he thought through your words. This was the most he was going to get out of you right now. The most important thing was that Noct’s safety was your goal as well, so he’d just have to make do. He glanced at your swollen eye through the mask’s broken lens. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Potion Ignis handed him earlier in the abandoned shelter. Before you had a chance to refuse, Gladio cracked the vial and let the iridescent blue cloud flow over your face. The pain that thundered from your cheek and throughout your jaw slowly dissipated. The swelling went down and you could see clearly through your eye now. Your jaw was still slightly sore, but it was significantly more bearable now.

You blinked a few times before looking up at Gladio. His features were still as bold as they’ve ever been. Despite his tough exterior, he was a gentle giant on the inside. A loving son and brother who always looked out for others. You felt a small pinprick of sadness as you looked into his amber eyes. A part of you wanted to reach out and comfort him for the loss of his father and his home.

Gladio, on the other hand, saw a shift in his vision. He saw himself lean over a ledge overlooking the land, though it was as if it was from a shorter perspective. It seemed to be nighttime near a city, but Gladio didn’t recognize the area. He watched as a slender hand reached out and rested on his other persona’s arm.

      “ _It’s fine to let it all out every now and then,_ ” a woman’s voice echoed. Gladio’s persona turned, the moonlight dancing along a new scar across his forehead. “ _I know you want to be strong for Iris, but you’re allowed your times of weakness too. You’re only human._ ”

Gladio heard himself scoff as his persona shook his head and continued to stare to the distance in silence. He suddenly dipped his head and quickly approached for a tight embrace, his body shaking as silent tears fell. 

His vision shifted as he felt a hard punch to the arm. It took Gladio a moment before he remembered where he was. He glanced down to see you wearing your beak-like mask with the broken lens. You stared up at him with your hand still in a fist.

      “For earlier,” you said as you lowered your hand. “Though I deserved the first one, I feel the second punch wasn’t entirely necessary. You dislocated my jaw.” He paused before he gave a wide grin and placed his hands on his hips.

      “Just a taste of what you’ll get if you don’t keep your word, _Ultor_.”

      “Same to you, _Flower_.”

Flower? What? Him? Gladio stood in silence and furrowed his brows as he processed what you said. He opened his mouth but he couldn’t come up with a retort, leaving him slowly gaping like a fish. You couldn’t help but let out a small but quiet laugh before turning and motioning Ignis, Prompto, and Noct to follow you. Gladio stood and watched you walk ahead, his eyes wandering to your hips. Your poncho was fairly long and hid your figure, the ends reaching just above your knees. But he noticed the slight sway your body made with each step, and it suddenly hit him like a truck.

      “Oh, shit.”

      “Gladio said the ‘shit’ word.” Prompto tapped the Shield’s shoulder and skipped onward before he got smacked. Noct ran to catch up with you, wanting to ask how you managed to tame a Coeurl.

As Ignis walked up to Gladio, he noticed that the burly man stared at your slowly retreating figure in shock. The Advisor glanced in your direction and pieced together what Gladio just discovered. He had come to the same conclusion earlier, just after the group had defeated the Arachne. When Ignis had quickly knelt to your side, he couldn’t help but notice the bit of skin from your waist that showed when part of your poncho was bunched in the crook of your elbow. Your hips were naturally wider than a male’s, and based on the timbre of your voice he heard earlier, he was confident that you were indeed what he discovered you were.

      “I can’t believe I…” Gladio moved forward, though he couldn’t feel the steps he was taking. 

      “There will be time for that later when we reach the Sanctuary,” Ignis interrupted him. “We should hurry and catch up with the others, lest we be unfortunate enough to encounter daemons.” 

      “Right…”

 

* * *

 

You all stood before a cave entrance on a rocky hillside. The sun had set not long ago and the air was filled with the sound of crickets. You shuffled your hands into your poncho and produced four small black orbs. You placed one in each of their hands.

      “Keep those on your person, but take care not to crush or break them.”

      “What is it?” Noct asked as he turned it carefully in his hand. He was almost entranced as he watched the darkness swirl.

      “It’s a ward of sorts. It prevents daemons from sensing your location, but it’s useless if they already see you. The sun just set, so there shouldn’t be any wandering around just yet.” You turned and approached the opening of the cave and scanned the ground. “I need to disable the traps first before we can go in, so I need you all to stay behind me while I do that.”

      “Wait, _traps_??” Prompto nearly dropped his orb. “I thought Sanctuaries were supposed to be safe!” 

      “They are, but only this Sanctuary has them. Remember when I mentioned the zealots? This used to be their headquarters and a lot of them kept coming back to continue their work long after the leaders were… disposed of.” You knelt down and swiped your finger along a particular stone in the ground. You furrowed your brow before taking two large steps from that spot. You motioned to the others and they slowly followed after.

      “But what if someone just wandered in on accident?” Gladio questioned. “Doesn’t seem like a sound solution, if you ask me.”

      “The wards were extremely complex, so much that they could in a way ‘sense’ if someone had the same intentions as the zealots. The wards were meant to self-enhance themselves every time someone passed through. So even if someone did wander in by accident, they wouldn’t be harmed since the wards ‘learned’ who to keep out. Though there was a bit of a setback with the self-enhancement.” You walked to the wall just inside the entrance and pushed it with your hand. It didn’t give away like you expected and you frowned in response. You took five steps from the wall and stood in the center of the rocky hallway, again motioning the men to follow. “To make it simple, it eventually learned to only let in those with ‘good intentions’. That isn’t to say that none of you have good intentions, of course. The wards now basically reject those who have harmed or will harm anyone or anything with the intention to make others submit to them.”

      “That seems to be reasonable enough, but how strict are these wards?” Ignis asked.

      “They count both physical and emotional harm, regardless of how insignificant it is.” You raised both arms and jumped high, poking the ceiling with the tips of your index fingers. Upon receiving no reaction, you were becoming more concerned as you took half a step and swiped the ground with your boot. “Consider this: Someone reprimands their child for eating too many sweets. They tell their child not to do it again or they won’t gets sweets ever again. Seems reasonable enough, but if that person were to try to walk through one of the wards…”

You turn to the others and swiped your thumb across your neck.

      “Yikes, so pretty sensitive, huh?” Prompto crossed his arms as he tried to think of what would have the wards reject him.

      “Exactly. It was a poor decision in the first place for setting in self-enhancing wards, but they worked at the time.” You knelt down and looked at the white marble slab you uncovered. The surface was shattered, and it seemed to have been done years ago. You slowly stood up and breathed deeply before moving forward. Noct was becoming concerned as he noticed your confidence slowly, but surely, waning.

      “So… You disabled the ones so far, right?” The Prince asked. You were silent for longer than expected, almost making him question their safety as they proceeded further into the cave. You were no longer checking the walls or the ceiling or the ground, so they assumed they made it past all of the wards. However, you were taking tentative steps forward and being more attentive– something that did not go unnoticed by the Advisor. The others watched as you suddenly stopped and turned to the wall, reaching out to it before pulling your hand back.

      “Ultor? What is–” Ignis’s question was cut off as you heel-stomped the wall. The strength of it was enough to shake the ground and cause sediment to fall from the ceiling. Noct and Prompto gasped and went into a crouch to try to steady themselves. Gladio immediately looked around for anything that would attack but couldn’t find anything. Ignis feared you had activated a ward and was prepared to drag Noct out of the cave. But the rumbling soon ceased, and their surroundings were still once more.

      “What the hell was that?!” Noct yelled at you.

      “They’re all destroyed…” Though you had whispered, Ignis most definitely heard you.

      “The wards are destroyed?” The bespectacled man approached and looked at where you had kicked the wall. A solid imprint of your boot was in the rock. He raised an eyebrow as he continued. “Perhaps someone else had come through? Someone who also knew about the wards?”

      “The chance of that happening is near impossible. They would have had to see each one activated a significant number of times before knowing not only a ward’s location but how exactly to disable each one.” You turned to Ignis and started walking toward him, panic quickly settling in. “The first four wards near the entrance were completely inactive– **shattered** . Up to here, where the last ward is, we’ve passed 167 wards that _did not activate_. Each one was destroyed. Whoever came through here–” You cut your sentence short as a name came to mind. A devastating feeling sunk into the pit of your stomach as you whirled yourself around and listened as carefully as you could. 

_It couldn’t be… Could it…?! But the runes…_

The men exchanged worried looks as you stilled yourself, and once again began to doubt you. Ignis was internally berating himself for taking the risk of following you to a so-called “Sanctuary”. For all he knew, you could have made it all up, leading them into a trap that awaited them in the depths of the cave. And what of the black orbs they were given? Were they really as you said they were? There was still time to make a run for it to the outpost. He wanted to trust you, but how could he when you weren’t producing any positive results? But the alarm in your voice was genuine, and if you were to lead them into a trap or cause them harm, you would have done it already.

Right?

      “So what now?” Prompto broke the silence as he looked to Noct. “Is this place even safe anymore?”

      “Sanctuaries have the same runes just as Safe Havens, only those runes don’t depend on the power of the Oracle.” Your voice grew quiet as you listened intently. You sensed a shift in the air further down the cave. “Sanctuary runes provide protection using the energy of Eos. Unless there’s a blockage in the flow of power– which is not easy to accomplish– this Sanctuary should be fine, but–” A minuscule breeze came from the depths of the cave as you sensed movement.

      “… Ultor? What do we–”

      “Shh.” You held your hand up to stop Prompto. He held his breath as you tilted your head to the side, holding your breath as you listened for something none of the others could hear. He was about to try again when a large rumble came from the darkness.

      “What was–”

      “RUN!”

You shoved both Noct and Prompto out of the way as a gigantic black limb bursted from the darkness and smashed you to the ground. The two watched in horror as your unconscious body was quickly dragged into the cave, leaving a thick trail of blood behind. Another limb appeared and attempted to swing out to crush the group. Noct barely blinked before he noticed a faint, silver glow just past the appendage, almost as if it were a pair of eyes staring right at him. A sudden harsh gust of wind propelled the four men all the way back to the entrance of the cave; the scent of heather flower lingered as the group staggered up to their feet. They watched as several more of the limbs dragged across where they previously stood before retreating back into the depths of the cave. Deep reverberations were left in their wake before a shocked silence followed. 

      “Oh, _Gods_ , Ultor was…!” Prompto’s voice shook as he continued to stare into the darkness of the cave. He turned to the others who mirrored his terrified expression. “W-We have to go after him!” 

      “And what? Share the same fate as Ultor?” Gladio couldn’t risk letting anyone go in again after that. Of course, he wanted to go after you just as much, but if someone like you– who supposedly was extremely skilled and experienced– was taken down so easily, how could they possibly stand a chance? “We can’t risk it. In case you missed it, that thing was **huge** and way out of our league.”

      “We owe it to him!” argued Noct. He turned to Ignis. “If it weren’t for Ultor, that thing would’ve killed Prompto and me!”

      “Noct, we don’t know if Ultor is still–” The words were stuck in Ignis’s throat. It wasn’t likely that you survived the attack, and quite honestly Gladio was right; going after you would put everyone at risk. But then again, the young Prince made a point. Had you not been so attentive, Ignis would have failed in his duty to protect Noct, and he would have paid for it by being killed shortly after. Not to mention, you saved Prompto _twice_ now. He collected himself before continuing. His hands still shook from shock. “… If we’re to do this, we must exercise the utmost caution.” 

      “Iggy, we more than likely can’t kill whatever it is.” Gladio implored. “It’s too dangerous.”

      “Then we go in, find Ultor, and escape afterwards. Judging from the size of its limbs, it doesn’t seem to reach beyond a certain point in the cave, so it’s unlikely to follow us beyond that. We must make certain we don’t attract its attention with too much noise.” The Shield crossed his arms as he internally debated the options. Why was Ignis suddenly being reckless? 

      “Gladio, that wind that blew us back out here… That had to have been Ultor.” Prompto spoke up, still trembling from head to toe. “It was the same in Keycatrich Trench before when that boulder fell. He has to still be alive in there. If you won’t go, then… Then I will.”

      “Prompto, there’s no way I’m letting you go,” Noct said as he turned to the blonde. His friend was about to retort when the Prince interrupted. “Not alone. We’re going in, Gladio.”

Gladio heaved a heavy sigh before glancing at Ignis. The Advisor wouldn’t have agreed to such a dangerous plan if he truly believed it was hopeless from the beginning. The Shield had eventually reached the same conclusion himself, albeit with much reluctance.

      “We keep our eyes and ears open. This is our _only_ chance.”

      “Right.” Noct turned his flashlight on and led the way as the group carefully made their way back into the cave.

As they reached where they previously were, Prompto winced as the men came upon your blood trail. Noct swallowed before stepping around it and following it deeper into the cavern. Step by step, they navigated through fallen stalactites, careful not to knock against any of the loose rubble that fell from earlier. They began going down a decline and the passage slowly got larger, making even the quietest step echo all around. Deep gouges were found along the walls and ground, most of them freshly made. Cobwebs and spiderwebs began making an appearance and increased the further they progressed. The crimson trail came to an end as they encountered a large smear on the ground. Not far from it, Gladio found your recurve longbow stained with your blood and a black substance.

      “Look, it’s Ultor’s,” he whispered as he picked it up. Ignis eyed it and looked further down the passage. His flashlight caught the shimmer of blood on something resting on a stalagmite a small distance away. He approached and found your mask hanging on the stone by a torn strap. Blood slowly trickled out of the ventilation slits of the beak. Both lenses were now broken and the mask was split in-between, barely held together with bloodied threads. Ignis looked up along the wall and his eyes widened at the sight of a blood spatter.

      “We must make haste,” Ignis spoke softly. Noct took your mask and grimaced. “It appears that Ultor survived the initial attack, but they may not last long after _this_.”

      “Please, _please_ be okay…” Prompto mumbled to himself.

Just past the smear of blood on the ground, sizable droplets of it trailed after. It appeared you were carried after being slammed into the side of the cavern, unintentionally leaving something for the group to follow. Just before they continued, a blood-curdling scream filled the air.

      “NO!” A woman’s voice sobbed out. “NO, NO, NO!” 

The men quickly exchanged looks before charging down the passage, no longer concerned with attracting attention to themselves. Noct led the way and rounded a corner before seeing a large clearing come to view. A naturally formed skylight poured moonlight into the area. Everything was completely covered with spiderwebs and countless eggs, many of which were hatching out more Tarantulas. A colossal arachnid body was seen wrapping something in thick webbing high in the air; it wiggled as muffled terror-ridden cries poured out. Several Tarantula daemons leapt on and began biting through the webbing, injecting the victim with their poison.

Noct summoned his sword and threw it at the limb that held the wrapped body. With his weapon lodged, he warped and immediately slashed the end of the appendage off, releasing its hold on the cocoon. A high-pitched shrill filled the air as he threw his sword toward the ground and warped to attack the fast-approaching Tarantulas crawling out of the shadows. Gunshots followed as Prompto took carefully aimed but rapid shots at the daemons on the encased body, killing each of them before Gladio lunged and caught the person before they hit the ground. The woman’s sobs were strained and were quickly losing energy as the poison spread through her veins. He ran back to where Ignis was throwing his daggers at the Tarantulas chasing after the Shield, summoning them back and repeating the action. Gladio rushed to tear through the webbing, but it was proving difficult to rip through the substance. 

      “Shit! Come on!” The Shield growled to himself as he continued to remove layer after layer of the mesh. Ignis knelt down and used one of his daggers to carefully slice through the webbing surrounding the woman’s head. Prompto rushed to cover the two, but the feat was proving difficult as the daemons closed in. If the woman had any hope of surviving, she needed an Antidote _fast_. Just before Ignis removed the last layer on her face, a thundering rumble came from above.

      “Watch out!” Noct called out. His warning was too late as one of the massive limbs swept the three men up, leaving the cocoon behind. The Tarantulas the Prince previously fought suddenly cleared from around him as his retinue landed hard at his feet. As they stumbled up, they found themselves quickly bound to the wall with thick webbing. Ignis struggled against the restraints and quickly scanned the area. In the far corner under the arachnid’s body, several Tarantulas surrounded a faint blue glow. They were shoving themselves into a crevice next to it, seeming to block the light from spreading. The daemons were swiftly neutralized, yet more kept crawling into it. The air reverberated as the arachnid crawled down near the woman who had suddenly become silent. The moonlight hit the greater daemon and Prompto shuddered at the horrifying reveal. It had the same structure as an Arachne, but its size was monstrous and the humanoid torso was significantly more mutated. There were several more arms that were much longer, and the head was horrendously engorged and covered with bulbous black eyes. One of the orbs seemed to have been stabbed, as a black liquid leaked out of the wound. She leaned over the wrapped woman before giving a haunting sigh.

      “My children,” A melodic, almost soothing, voice flowed through a mouth full of sharp teeth that dripped a black substance. “I warned you to not give too much, no? She has died again…” One of her arms reached down and removed the layer of webbing off the woman’s face. She gently caressed her cheek before raising another arm and stabbing the woman through the heart. Moments passed before the body shook violently as the daemon pulled out the poison– through the veins, through the heart, out onto a pale-gray palm where a black gelatinous ball formed. The daemon raised it to her lips and took delicate bites from it, as if savoring the most delectable dish in the world.

      “What the fuck…” Gladio breathed out in shock. 

      “That’s sick…!” Noct tried to wiggle out of their restraints but it was wasted effort.

      “Where’s Ultor? Is he already…?!” Prompto couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight of the woman’s body suddenly stilling.

      “Right now we need to focus on getting out of this webbing.” Ignis was equally disturbed. But what did the daemon mean ‘ _she has died again_ ’? He focused back to the task at hand and looked to the Prince. “Noct, summon your daggers and give one to Gladio. Prompto, use one of mine and start cutting. But keep quiet.”

The daemon sucked on her fingers as she finished eating, sighing contentedly.

      “Truly the most magnificent flavor.” She wrapped her humanoid arms around herself as her arachnid body trembled in pleasure. “I always enjoy the taste of your blood. Oh, how I’ve missed you so.”

A sharp gasp made the four men pause. The woman, who was thought to have been killed, began breathing harshly. The greater daemon mewled ecstatically and quickly picked her up, holding her at arm's length away and looked over her. The woman resumed her cries, though it was a greater struggle to get the sounds out this time.

      “No… No…” Her pitiful voice echoed off the walls. “How is this possible…? You should have been…”

      “Oh, it certainly has been a long time, hasn’t it?” The daemon produced a white ball and rolled it between two of her other hands. “300 years? No, my mistake. It’s been 400. Such a long time since we’ve played. We had fun for 186 winters, didn’t we? I kept count. We could have spent so much more time together, but I understand that you insist on being coy. My heart ached when you left me. It bled when you tried to kill me with that cursed amulet.”

She pulled the woman closer and stared into her eyes with unsettling adoration. She swiftly shoved the white sphere into the woman’s mouth and sealed it shut with her web. Tears and whimpers came out as she was placed gently on the ground.

      “That would have been the end had it not been for that glorious man– my Master.” The woman immediately stilled as she heard this. “He destroyed that pure artifact of yours with such ease and saved my life. He even allowed me to make a new home here, after you **_burned_ ** mine down. Though so many of my children had to be sacrificed just to get in, it certainly was worth the forfeiture and it was certainly worth waiting for you here these 400 years. And you came, just like he said you would.”

A choked gurgle came from the woman. The white ball had moved down her throat and became lodged in her stomach. She shook before her belly burst open, something seeming to struggle under familiar black leather before thrashing out of it. A white Tarantula crawled out, covered in blood and innards. Prompto nearly vomited as the viscera splattered out of the corpse and Noct actually fainted for a few moments. Gladio was slicing through the webbing with more vigor while Ignis watched on in horror. The daemon picked up the newborn Tarantula and placed a mother’s kiss on its head. Her jaw unhooked and hung freely before she devoured it whole, relishing the taste of the blood it was covered in. Ignis grimaced as he turned his attention to the corpse, and was alarmed when he noticed the body slowly mend itself back together. The broken and torn organs strewn on the ground turned to dirt as a silver glow emanated from the woman before a sharp gasp left her lips again.

      “What on Eos…” Ignis had never seen anything like it. He had witnessed this woman come back to life not once, but _twice_. And that leather…

      “Libidine, you know as well as I do that _He_ is only using you,” the woman rasped. “You are but a pawn– nothing more.”

      “I care not,” the daemon replied as her arms rubbed over her spindly body. “I was given the opportunity to taste you once more–” She leaned down and licked up the woman’s exposed stomach. “– That’s more than I could _ever_ ask for. But his generosity knows no bounds. He promised me a _special surprise_ if I played with these ones.”

Libidine slowly maneuvered herself over to the men bound to the wall. The woman struggled in the cocoon and managed to roll to her side to face the others. Her face was off in color; sweat and tears drenched her strained expression as she choked out pleas to leave the group alone. The daemon leaned in and brushed an ice-cold hand against Noct’s face, who had just regained consciousness at the wrong time. He flinched as the arachnid’s putrid breath hit his nostrils. A deceptively sweet smile spread across her blackened lips, her many eyes peering deep into dark blue ones. The others had managed to cut enough of the webbing to tear their way out, but with the daemon so close they would have to bide their time.

      “Darling, little Prince,” Her hand gripped his neck tightly, just enough to leave a notable bruise without strangling him. “I wonder just how sweet your blood tastes. I’ve had royals before, yet each time I’m always disappointed. Let’s see, shall we?” She raised a sharpened claw and drew it down the brunette’s neck, a shallow crimson line slowly budded out of the skin. He hissed as Libidine licked along the cut, clenching his teeth at the sensation. She pulled back and swirled her tongue in her mouth as if she was merely tasting wine. With the click of her tongue she spat at the ground and glared at the Prince, clearly dissatisfied with the flavor.

      “Libidine,” the woman called out, her voice suddenly stronger and laced with venom. “You will not touch them again.” Ignis could have sworn her eyes had a faint silver glow to them, but he wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the moonlight.

      “That may be the very first time we agree on something,” the arachnid responded as she wiped her mouth elegantly with the back of one of her hands. “But I’ve yet to receive my surprise.”

As she raised her arm to spear through Noct’s chest, Prompto sliced through the remaining layers of webbing and summoned his revolver. He fired three shots at Libidine’s eyes and pulled himself out of the mesh. The daemon screeched and retracted herself, cradling her enlarged head with her multiple hands. Gladio and Ignis ripped through their portion of the restraints and helped Noct out of his. Several Tarantulas rushed toward them in retaliation.

      “Let’s grab her and go!” Noct shouted as he summoned a greatsword and swung at the daemons.

      “Ignis, stay with Noct! I’ll get her!” Gladio summoned his own weapon and began clearing a path to the woman still on the ground. She wrestled within the cocoon and managed to slide her arm out of the hole made over her stomach. The Shield neared her but a large limb crashed between them.

      “ ** _YOU WON’T TAKE HER FROM ME._ ** ” The greater daemon slammed another limb down to crush Gladio, the latter barely rolling out of the way. “ ** _I’LL KILL YOU. I’LL KILL YOU!_ ** ” She swung her arm out and threw the man back toward the others. He slammed against the wall with a harsh grunt and tried to steady himself on his greatsword.

      “Gladio!” Prompto ran to him and handed him a Potion before returning fire at the increasing number of Tarantulas.

      “We’re being overrun!” Ignis had switched to his lance to gain some distance with the daemons, but he was quickly losing his stamina. He leapt back as Libidine shot green liquid at him from her fangs. It landed on the ground and began sizzling. Several hands wrapped around Noct and lifted him off the ground.

      “NOCT!” Gladio ran forward and tried to hack through one of the arms, but was shot with a ball of webbing that stuck him to the ground. Prompto and Ignis surrounded him and struggled to keep the smaller daemons from crawling over him.

      “I will drain every last drop of your disgusting blood from you,” Libidine hissed. She tightened her grip and a notable crack made Noct scream in pain. The others called out to him in desperation. Prompto raised his aim to shoot at the greater daemon but was immediately restrained by the Tarantulas. Ignis went to throw his lance but was also caught by the arachnids. “You will rue ever getting in my way. _She is mine and mine alone_!” 

Libidine’s jaw unhooked to reveal black-stained teeth, the fangs on the top and bottom row leaking the same green liquid shot at Ignis. She raised Noct to hang above her mouth and released her hold. Devastated cries resounded off the walls as time seemed to slow down. 

 _Is this it?_ Noct thought. His arm and chest ached– broken bones, most likely. His mind wandered to his father… To Luna… His eyes shot to his friends– his brothers. Prompto was covered with daemons and stared wide-eyed as tears fell freely. Ignis was held down on his knees, his normal placid face now in despair. Gladio mirrored the Advisor’s expression, feeling the world crumble beneath him. Noct looked back to the orifice he was falling toward and attempted to summon his sword.

A flash of silver came into view.

But it was not from a summoned weapon.

Noct felt the ground beneath his legs and a careful hold around his torso. The scent of honeysuckle filled his nostrils. Prompto and Ignis were suddenly no longer restrained by Tarantulas, and Gladio was freed from the webbing he was trapped under. The daemons that previously surrounded them dissipated in a large black cloud. Libidine paused as she registered what had happened. There was no prince going down her throat. The arms that once held the royal now fell to the ground– sliced off at the joints. She howled and recoiled, thrashing about the cavern in pain. Noct looked up and met a pair of eyes glowing a vibrant silver– the same glow he saw earlier. He glanced to where the cocoon was and saw instead a pile of shredded webbing. As he turned his attention back to his savior, he noticed they were wearing a familiar black leather poncho.

      “… Ultor?” 

You leaned over him and placed your lips close to his forehead. With a gentle exhale from you, a feeling of relief shot throughout his body. His cuts had mended, his bruises lightened. The ache in his arm and chest disappeared as you stood and moved away from him. The others looked at you in shock as you walked to them and healed them as well. With your mask off and your hood down, your appearance was finally revealed to the group– though it was more ethereal in this moment. Your hair floated freely above your head as it shined silver like your eyes. Your expression was blank, as if you were a completely different person.

As you turned to face Libidine, the air around you changed to the scent of petunias. Prompto stood to try to follow you but was stopped when you raised your arm and instantaneously erected a Barrier around the group. You lowered your hand and continued approaching the giant arachnid. The glow you emanated caught her attention and she froze in place as she looked you over.

      “You… You must be… the Cataegian! Oh, what a surprise, indeed!” Seeming to completely disregard her lack of arms, her arachnid body knelt down to you in worship. “Never did I even dare to think that I would have the honor! Though, Master had described you differently… You must not be _complete_. But… To drink your blood, to witness your physical thresholds, to just be in your presence!”

You stopped in front of her and lifted your hand. A violent cyclone was summoned, the harsh winds blowing your poncho off to reveal your black tube top underneath. All of the Tarantulas were swept up, and the spiderwebs and eggs were ripped out. Aged and decayed wooden furniture were uncovered and lifted in the air, joining the debris circling overhead. The inside of the Barrier was unaffected, leaving the four men to watch as you released an unbelievable amount of power. The daemons that covered the crevice in the corner were torn out, freeing the blocked power that quickly illuminated the runes carved throughout the cavern. The opening glowed silver before it was sealed, now repaired and protecting the flow of energy. With the Sanctuary restored, the Tarantulas and eggs revolving above were destroyed instantaneously. Libidine released an otherworldly shriek as her body began to disintegrate.

      “My darling, my precious!” She tried to lunge toward you in ardent joy, black tears pouring out of her bulbous eyes. “ **Rudra!** ”

      “ _Rest now, O pitiful one. Thine corrupted soul, long abandoned, shall now receive redemption._ ” Your voice was surreal, flowing out in multiple octaves. The men understood your words, yet they had never before heard the language you spoke– save for Ignis. He recognized it as the same as what you spoke to Felix before.

      “Rudra! Ru–” You clenched your hand into a fist and the cyclone immediately enclosed around the arachnid, crushing the body from the pressure and killing the daemon. The harsh winds died down as you lowered your hand; pieces of broken wooden furniture clattered to the ground as a calm settled in the cavern. The moonlight from above drenched your form as your hair and eyes returned to their natural state. You hacked and coughed as you became aware of your surroundings, the surge of power that flowed through you returning to dormancy. You weren’t even conscious of what you were doing until it was already over. 

After you caught your breath, you snapped your fingers and shattered the Barrier. Noct and the others slowly approached you, looking over your physique. Not a bruise, scrape, or scar marred your skin; it was perfectly smooth even after enduring Libidine’s mutilation.

      “Ultor… What…” The Prince held his breath as you met his gaze. Your eyes were clear as you regarded the royal and his retinue. You understood you had to reveal the truth earlier than expected, and you sighed as you reluctantly came to terms with it.

      “What _are_ you?” Ignis stared at you in confusion.

      “I… I am ________ . And I am not human.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *neglects other unfinished works and starts a new one*
> 
> Oh boy, I hope I don't get carried away!
> 
> *spends one month writing*
> 
> Oh boy, I better make sure there's no mistakes!
> 
> *spends two weeks revising/proofreading*
> 
> Oh boy, I better not write too much for the first chapter!
> 
> *writes nearly 20,000 words*
> 
>  
> 
> ... I'm a mess, you guys. I'll be updating the tags as I go along. And it is guaranteed that the chapters following the first one will NOT be nearly as long, so hopefully updates will be more often than every few months.
> 
>  
> 
> Wanna hang? Crawl on over to my [tumblr](http://perks-of-being-blackinese.tumblr.com/).
> 
> If you feel like it, you can [support me on Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/G2G6KFYG)!


	2. Chapter 2

      “Fill this with water. There’s a stream over in that corner.” You handed Noct a metal pot and motioned to the side of the cavern. Noct didn’t move as he held it awkwardly. You returned to a back room and came out with flint and dry hay. You raised your hand and twisted it, summoning a gust of wind that lifted the broken pieces of aged wooden furniture. The debris whirled above them until it clattered into a pile in the middle of the clearing. You placed the flint and dry hay in Gladio’s hands. “Light this, would you?”

      “Uh… Sure.” He kept looking between the wood and you. You raised your eyebrows at him and Noct before they reluctantly did the tasks you assigned them. Noct walked stiffly to the corner of the cavern and found the stream you had mentioned. There was an opening in the side of the wall where crystal clear water flowed gently. The illumination of the runes made it seem unearthly, completely unaffected by the cave’s previous occupants.

You went into the back room again and came out holding a large corked flask filled with what looked like water. You made a turn and disappeared into a large side room. With a _pop_ , you removed the cork and poured a small portion of the liquid out over your hand. Before it made contact, you produced a disk of wind and separated the fluid into a fine mist; the agitation made it glow a dull violet. With a twitch of your fingers, the air pulsed and splattered it all over the objects in the room. The surfaces were refreshed and repaired from years of disuse.

      “Ult– Er, ________…?” Prompto called as you walked out of the side room and into another. You repeated the action in that room then went to replace the flask. Gladio had lit the fire and stood next to him and Ignis, watching you return to the first chamber; Noct joined them holding the filled pot. Not long after, five chairs and two tables were flung into the air, startling the men as the items arched over to them. A surge of air slowed their descent and straightened them out before they landed with a skid on the stone ground. You walked out with one arm full of wild potatoes and onions, your other hand holding a butcher’s knife.

      “Rinse these,” you said handing Prompto the potatoes by the stems. “Refill the pot.” Noct glanced down to find an empty pot and the front of his shirt and pants drenched. He exchanged looks with Prompto before they both trudged over to the stream. You placed the onions and butcher’s knife on one of the tables and turned to walk back to the second side room.

      “________, I feel we should–” Ignis was interrupted as four large plush futons were thrown out, followed by four pillows and four blankets. They were suspended with a breeze as you walked out with your hand up. You pushed your other hand outward, forcing air through the objects before maneuvering them a distance away. Ignis caught the scent of lavender as they plopped on the ground.

      “Peel and dice the onions. Then quarter the potatoes and place everything in the pot.”

      “Hey,” Gladio approached you and tapped your shoulder. “Could we maybe get _two minutes_ to–”

      “Do this first.” With a burst of air, you were gone– nowhere to be seen.

      “What the hell…?”

      “Gladio, above!” Ignis motioned upward. You had leapt up and out of the skylight, your silhouette a mere speck against the moon. You scanned the sky and spotted a sizable Daggerquill– right on time, as usual. You jutted two of your fingers out and made a slashing motion, severing the avian’s head with precision. You reached the end of the momentum from your jump and began your descent back to the skylight. You pulled your arm in and forced a current of air against the Daggerquill’s feathers, effectively plucking it while bringing the carcass toward you. You caught it as you quickly fell back down to the Sanctuary, landing just in front of Noct who flinched so hard he tossed water over himself.

      “Refill the pot.” He gave an annoyed sigh as he went back to the stream. You walked over to Gladio and handed him the Daggerquill. “Clean this.” You didn’t give him a chance to respond before you were high in the air again, twisting your body as you glided somewhere to the distance.

      “She’s not holding back anymore, is she?” Prompto came back with the rinsed potatoes and placed them on the table with the onions.

      “It would appear so,” Ignis said as he picked up the butcher’s knife. “After what we just witnessed, there wouldn’t be a purpose in her continuing to hide her… abilities.”

      “It does explain a few things, at least,” Gladio said over his shoulder as he went to clean the Daggerquill in the stream. “The wind in Keycatrich Trench, her speed– but I’m more curious about her shining like a lightbulb.”

      “Seriously!” Prompto exclaimed. “And what was with that weird language? I could understand it, but I’ve never heard it before.”

      “I had heard her speak the same when we encountered Felix. It could possibly be a dead language– or perhaps for her, it may not be.” Ignis peeled and diced the onions, then moved on to quartering the potatoes.

      “That spider lady mentioned something about waiting for, what, 400 years?” Prompto crossed his arms. “And that she was with ________ for almost 200, right?”

      “If I recall, Libidine had said ‘186 winters’. It’s merely a conjecture, but…” Ignis paused with his chopping before he continued. “… It’s possible that ________ has been alive for nearly 600 years.”

      “That’s just… unbelievable,” Prompto breathed as he plopped down in one of the chairs. “I mean, she looks like she’d be around our age.”

      “Maybe she’s got a great skin routine.” Noct came back with the pot filled. He went to place it on the table when the sudden appearance of you placing herbs and a green vine down startled him, making him drop the pot on the ground with a loud clatter. You bent down to pick it up and shoved it into Prompto’s arms.

      “Fill the pot.” You pulled Noct to the side and held your palm to his chest. A rush of warm wind surrounded him. When you removed your hand he patted his shirt and pants, finding both were completely dry. He opened his mouth to say something, but you interrupted him by pointing to a chair by the second table. “Sit.”

You went to the back room and came out with another flask, swishing it until it emanated a red glow. Gladio passed by Prompto as the blond stood to complete Noct’s task, the latter sitting down with a slight pout. The Shield placed the cleaned carcass of the Daggerquill on the table as you briskly walked out of the cavern. Prompto let out a hushed “Wait!” as he quickly filled the pot. He trotted back to the table and clunked it down before running after you.

You heard his footsteps catch up with you as you removed the cork from the flask. You placed your thumb over half of the opening and shook it as you turned it upside down. A red plume flowed out as you motioned it over the blood that spilled from you earlier. Prompto watched in amazement as the trail dissipated. He followed in silence, occasionally staring at your profile when you turned your head in search for more droplets.

      “________…?” Prompto quietly called your name. You hadn’t completely acknowledged any of the men since you cleared out the Sanctuary, so he was slightly caught off-guard when you turned and looked at him. “Um… I wanted to thank you. For saving me and Noct. Well, all of us, actually. I, uh, didn’t think you were– I mean, you said you weren’t… Um… You know, human… Not that it’s a bad thing! It’s-It’s just unexpected! Because it’s great! Or unless it’s not, then I’m sorry for offending you and–”

You stopped his rambling by placing your hand on his cheek. He froze in place as you stared at him, his face warming up at the contact and your piercing gaze. Prompto felt a sense of déjà vu as his vision suddenly shifted. He saw himself in a what looked like a room made of metal; monitors and cables hung on the walls and an electronic hum filled the air. He was wearing a black tundra jacket and beanie, with a gun harness buckled onto his torso. He watched himself turn around, revealing a pained face with tears sliding down his face. A slender hand reached out and cupped his cheek.

      “ _It was you…_ ” Prompto heard himself say. He watched his persona grasp the person’s hand. “ _But… I don’t_ _–_ ”

      “ _No matter what,_ ” a woman’s voice echoed. “ _I will_ **_always_ ** _be here for you. I promise._ ”

Light patting to his cheek brought Prompto back. He looked over your features, feeling as though he’d known you for a very long time. Your eyes softened before you turned and resumed your task. He stood for a moment, lightly tracing where you touched his skin. He was left in deep thought as he trailed after you. The two of you reached where your bow and mask were dropped, but you couldn’t find either of them as you scanned the area.

      “Oh, if you’re looking for your things, Gladio has your bow and I think Noct has your mask,” Prompto mentioned when he noticed you searching the ground. “I’m sure Gladio can summon it out and give it back to you.” You gave a soft hum before jumping high and shaking the flask over the splatter high on the wall. The crimson marks disappeared as the two of you went on your way back to the entrance of the cave.

When you finished you corked the flask and held it out for Prompto to hold, who in turn took it gingerly with both hands. Taking a deep breath, you circled your arms over your head and pulled them down in front of your chest. With a pulse of air, you pushed your hands out with your index and middle fingers out. You made hypnotic motions as you summoned wind to carve into the cave. The blond’s jaw dropped as he watched you create the same symbols from the cavern; your eyes and fingertips glowed a faint silver. The runes shimmered blue as you made your way back, Prompto watching in a trance as you gracefully etched into the stone.

The other three were sitting when they looked toward the entrance to the cavern and saw you carving the runes. They watched the glow fade from your eyes; the luminescence of the symbols now lit the passage in a soft light. You held your hand out to Prompto and he returned the flask you gave him. With a tilt of your head, you directed him to a chair as you replaced the container and grabbed a knife, cast iron pan, and wooden spatula. When you came back, you found the onions and potatoes in the pot of water, and the Daggerquill cleaned and left to rest on the table. You lifted the pot and placed it over the fire; the men’s eyes widened as they saw it levitate over the flames.

      “Enchanted. Cooks faster,” you said offhandedly. You picked up the knife and began mincing the herbs you picked earlier. You grabbed the green vine and wrapped it into your hands, swirling a current of air between your palms to dry it out. You hooked the last chair with your foot and dragged it over before plopping down and reclining back. You passed over four pairs of eyes before you spoke. “Who wants to start?”

There was a brief silence before voices broke out.

      “If you’re not human, then what exactly are you?”

      “You really can use wind magic!”

      “How are you still alive? You died _twice_ –”

      “Just how old are you?”

      “Who was that spider lady–”

      “–And why was she so creepy??”

      “What was with the whole glowing thing?”

      “If you had such powers, why did you not use them earlier?”

      “What language was–”

      “Stop.” The bombardment of questions ceased as you crossed your legs. You tilted your head before you answered. “Complicated; yes; complicated; _excuse_ you; Libidine; who knows; complicated; complicated; language of the Astrals.”

There was a pause as you let it settle. Gladio and Noct weren’t satisfied with your responses, and it showed with the narrowing of their eyes. Prompto mumbled while trying to match up your answers, and Ignis simply sighed.

      “ ‘ _Complicated_ ’ isn’t a real answer.” Gladio crossed his arms.

      “Perhaps you should consider giving me an appropriate amount of time to respond–” You leaned forward. “– if you want a ‘ _real answer_ ’. So, let’s try this again.”

      “… What are you?” Noct’s eyes searched your face with faint wonder. You looked to him and leaned back.

      “An Astral.”

You opened your hands to check on the vine. It was almost completely dried.

      “An… _Astral?_ ”

      “Yes. An Astral. Next question.”

      “Wait, wait, **wait** .” Gladio leaned forward holding his hand up. “What do you mean you’re an _Astral?_ ”

      “How else do you want me to word it?”

      “No, I mean there’s only the Six. **_Six_ **. Ifrit, Shiva, Ramuh, Titan, Leviathan, and Bahamut,” Gladio emphasized by counting out his fingers. “There are no other Astrals.”

      “It’s up to you whether or not you want to believe me.” You maintained eye contact with the Shield as you took a deep breath. You’d been through this too many times. “I’m simply giving you the truth. I’m not going to shove it down your throat.”

      “So… ________ the Astral?” Prompto raised an eyebrow at you.

      “Not… quite.”

      “Rudra?” Ignis spoke up. A faint glow appeared in your eyes as you glanced at him. “That’s what Libidine said, correct? Rudra the Cataegian?” The others looked to you as you hesitated for a moment. That cursed spider. Thanks to her, you had to reveal more than you ever had in any “cycle”. You hoped this wouldn’t have too big of an effect.

      “… Yes,” you said with a sigh; the glow left your eyes as you looked to the ground. “That’s what I used to be called.”

      “Used to?”

You shook your head and lifted your gaze.

      “ **_That_ ** is what’s complicated. Perhaps another time.” You opened your hand and stood to place the now dried vine on the table, shaking out the dried green peppercorns. “Next question.”

A moment of silence passed before Prompto spoke up. “So, if you’re an Astral… Does that mean you’re immortal?”

      “Yes and no.” You took the butcher’s knife and placed it sideways over the peppercorns before hitting the blade to crush the seeds. “I do revive after dying, but I stay ‘dead’ if whatever killed me remains in my body. For example: poison, water in the lungs, a knife lodged in the heart or head, or if I’m crushed by something and it hasn’t been removed. But if I die from blood loss, removed organs, or some other life-threatening circumstance, I return completely healed. Though if it’s not life-threatening, it heals moderately faster than a healthy human’s pace.”

The blond grimaced as he remembered the white Tarantula bursting from your body.

      “… What is it like?” Prompto whispered.

      “To die, I assume?” You raised an eyebrow as you flicked your wrist and a jet of air flung a cloth from the back room over to you. You caught it and turned to remove the floating pot from the fire. “I can’t say for anything in the Beyond. I’ve never been there. But death, from my experience, depends on the cause. Something like drowning is… I find it particularly unsettling. The pain slowly ebbs away before turning into numbness. Then it’s just darkness. If it’s a stab to the heart– well, it’s a quick death. However, death in my case is different. Anyone else would stop feeling the pain at some point. I’m perpetually kept in that moment until I revive. It’s quite exhausting.”

      “So, when you were poisoned…” Noct watched as you walked over to the stream to drain the water from the pot. Steam rose as you poured.

      “It felt like my blood was turning into stone. I was still conscious until Libidine drew it out, so I really only felt the agonizing sensation of being impaled.” Your tone was light as you walked back; the others were clearly not amused. You placed the pot on the table and tossed in half of the minced herbs and crushed peppercorns. You handed Gladio the wooden spatula. “Mash.”

      “So, Libidine knew about that and took advantage of it?” The man asked as he pressed the potatoes against the side of the pot.

      “She did. She used to be human long ago, believe it or not.” You picked up the knife and began deboning the Daggerquill with speed and precision. “She was a very… forward and rather provocative person. Not that that’s a bad thing. Though, I was unfortunate enough to catch her attention–” _In_ **_every_ ** _single cycle_. “–  And ever since, she was obsessed with me. One night, she was attacked by a Tarantula and got infected with the Starscourge. Rather than losing her mind to the affliction, her soul became corrupted and she turned into a daemon. When I attempted to end her suffering, something stopped me– prevented me from using my power. I still don’t know what it was, but it got me captured and I got to spend 186 splendid years with that lovely woman.”

      “How’d you get away?” Noct leaned forward in his seat.

      “I used to have a shard from the Crystal– That’s also a complicated topic.” You pointed at Ignis before he could inquire further. “When I had a rare moment of respite, I embedded it in her throat to disable her long enough for me to incinerate her and her nest. Things should have ended there, but apparently her ‘ **_Master_ ** ’ removed it from her some point later and destroyed it.”

You tossed the bones into the fire and moved to add the herbs to the meat when you paused. An annoyed sigh left your lips before you went to the stream to rinse your hands. You were so preoccupied dispatching the daemon that you forgot to pick up a few ingredients.

      “Do you know who her master is?” Ignis asked as you shook your hands dry and began scanning the cavern.

      “Yes, and you need to avoid him at all costs.” You eyed something wedged between two stalactites and leapt up. You flipped upside down and wrapped your legs around one of them, tightening your grip to hold yourself there as you pulled your poncho loose. There was a _tink_ as Gladio dropped the spatula in the pot and stared in awe. “Based on what Libidine said, it’s likely he’s the one who destroyed the wards and damaged the Sanctuary stone– which I’m relatively _vexed_ about. Sanctuaries were made to withstand catastrophic events. For him to actually crack through the foundation **and** stop the flow of energy tells me he was desperate to get Libidine in here. The question is why would he do it in the first place and why would he choose this Sanctuary at all. In any case, he most likely won’t manage this a second time since this would have cost him a great deal of energy.”

You tugged the material out and released your grip around the stalactite, gracefully flipping right-side up and landing with a soft _thud_. You shuffled a hand into one of the inner pockets and produced a pouch. A small shake revealed the clink of several Gil within. Without looking, you tossed your poncho to Prompto.

      “But who is he? What does he look like?” The blond grunted as he caught the garment. How was it so heavy? You furrowed your brow as the image of his face came to mind. The lilt in his voice echoed and a sly grin slid across his lips. The facade he spent so long perfecting– for the purpose of destroying what he was denied– was a mockery of his former life. A life you couldn’t save.

      “Ardyn.” You lightly shook the pouch absentmindedly. “… Maroon hair, needs a shave, too many layers of odd clothing. Not hard to miss.”

With a gust of wind, you were out of the skylight again. The men were left in silence as they exchanged looks.

      “We… met someone like that, didn’t we?” Noct looked to Gladio as the Shield took out the Oracle Ascension Coin they were given by the man in question. He recalled the eccentric clothing the individual wore when they encountered him at Galdin Quay.

      “I knew there was something fishy with him,” Gladio said as he flipped the coin. “Looks like there’s more to him than he let on. Just like ________.”

      “I’m more inclined to believe that ________ has our best interests at mind. And she’s proven that with her actions and her honesty.” Ignis recalled the slight hesitation you showed when you responded to their questions. There was a sense of sorrow in your eyes despite the air of boredom you presented. “To be fair, would any of you have believed her if she told us the truth from the start?”

      “I definitely don’t think I would have,” Prompto said as he slumped your poncho over your chair. It slightly creaked in response as he wandered over to the back room. “Seeing is believing, right?”

      “No kidding,” Noct added as he went to follow his friend. “But how come we’ve never heard of a seventh Astral?”

      “Perhaps for the same reason we’ve never heard of Sanctuaries.” Ignis trailed behind as he went to look in one of the side rooms. “The documentation could have been destroyed or lost to time. I wonder if her power is limited as a result.”

      “What do you mean?” Gladio followed Ignis into the chamber. Several wooden chairs and tables were stored along the wall. From what they could tell, much of the woodwork and designs were centuries old.

      “It’s not an uncommon belief that the Astrals gain their strength through the faith of their followers. Libidine had said ‘ _You must not be complete_ ’. It’s possible that ________ may not be at full strength precisely because there’s no one to worship her.”

      “Maybe there used to be.” Gladio went to check the other side room, Ignis in tow. There were several neat piles of bedding along the ground. Upon closer inspection, the materials seemed almost new; there were no moth holes or worn down patches of cloth. “What about those ‘foregone’ zealots? You think she got rid of her own followers for the price of her full strength?”

      “It wouldn’t be the first time an Astral delivered divine retribution,” Ignis noted. He went to the back room where Noct and Prompto were exploring the in-wall shelves filled with hundreds of flasks, bottles, and vials. Both were swirling various containers, watching in awe as the clear fluids inside glimmered various hues. In the corner, there was a smaller skylight above a small garden; a portion of the soil was upturned from where you had fetched the potatoes and onions. The shelves nearby were filled with several pieces of cookware and wooden bowls and utensils. A stone slab was situated in the center of the room, where several more intricate runes were carved into it. The Advisor traced the symbols as he continued. “The ancient civilization of Solheim was destroyed by the Infernian, ‘The Betrayer’, some time after he granted mortals the knowledge of fire–”

      “The only betrayers are the ones who turned against _us_.” The men were startled as you spoke; Noct fumbled and nearly dropped the flask he was playing with. You were leaning against the threshold, holding a bottle of heavy cream, a jar of butter, and a small bag of salt. Ignis was fixated on the pained look that crossed your features as you stared at the ground. He felt inclined to offer an apology, but he wondered if it would mean anything to you if he did. After all, the only ones who would know what happened all those years ago would be the Astrals– you. He wasn’t sure if you’d acknowledge his empathy. You closed your eyes and took a moment before looking to the Prince, pointing to the container in his hands. “How many times have you sniffed that?”

      “Uh… Maybe three?” He slowly corked it and placed it back on the shelf. He couldn’t help it; the scent was almost intoxicating.

      “Good. Because four would have made you bald.” Noct’s eyes widened as he reached up to his hair. Prompto cackled before receiving a hard elbow to the ribs. “Ignis, grab four bowls and utensils, would you?”

      “Just four?”

      “I don’t eat.” You stated matter-of-factly.

All of you returned to the table in the middle of the cavern. You opened the bottle of cream and jar of butter and began adding them to the partially mashed potatoes, sniffing it each time you added a portion. When you were satisfied, you sprinkled salt in and slid the pot back to Gladio to finish mashing; he eyed you curiously before he complied. You took the salt and rubbed it over the Daggerquill then mixed the remainder of the minced herbs and crushed peppercorns with the butter before spreading some of it over the meat. You placed it skin-side down on the cast iron pan before you set it over the fire; it floated over the flames and immediately began to sizzle, filling the air with a savory fragrance.

      “You’re not completely wrong,” you brought up. The others listened carefully as you went on. “– About my power. Right now, it’s limited. I can’t quite explain why, as I don’t completely understand it myself. There are times when there’s a sudden surge– a taste, if you would, of my full potential. But it seems to only happen under dire circumstances.” Your skin crawled as you remembered hearing Noct cry out in pain. The horror that sank into your body as he fell toward Libidine’s open mouth numbed your mind. The next thing you knew, a dormant force inside you ruptured.

      “So, that’s what the whole glowing thing was.” Gladio tapped the edge of the pot as he finished mashing the potatoes. You raised an eyebrow at him and let out a small chuckle. A warmth tickled his cheeks at the sound.

      “Yes, that’s what the ‘glowing thing’ was.” You grabbed the pan over the fire and with a flick of your wrist, a pulse of air flipped the Daggerquill over and left it to cook on the other side.

      “And that language you were talking in? That was in the language of the Astrals?” Noct questioned. “I thought only the Oracles could understand that.”

      “Those who are touched by the Gods are able to commune with them,” Ignis answered for you. “The line of the Oracle has been able to do so ever since Bahamut bestowed that power 2,000 years ago.”

      “Correct.” You sat down in your chair and scooted close to him. Ignis couldn’t help but scan your figure as you settled. The fire made the shadows dance along your shoulders and highlight the curves of your body. He suddenly became more aware of how captivating your features were, making him hope the heat he felt on his face was coming from the flames. “In your case, your comprehension of _our_ language was temporary. The amount of power I used when I healed your injuries was not enough to make it permanent.”

      “So, if you spoke it now, we wouldn’t understand?” Prompto was slightly downhearted. He had hoped he learned a new language without the hassle of _actually learning it_.

      “ _Iadiad_ ,” you responded in the ancient tongue. The others stared at you blankly, confirming that they could no longer understand you. You touched your fingertips to your lips and placed them on Ignis’s forehead. He went still at the contact as you spoke again. “ _Direct contact, like so, also provides a temporary effect_.”

      “I see. How interesting…” Ignis felt his skin tingle as you removed your hand. He held back a sudden urge to grab your hand; a tinge of heartache shot through him and left just as fast as it came. The others looked to him for an interpretation but he simply shrugged. The edges of your lips slightly curled up as you stood.

      “I wouldn’t get used to it.” You took the pan off the fire and let the meat rest before grabbing the butcher’s knife. “There’s no practical reason for us to converse in that manner. Unless I felt like gossiping about one of you.”

You were met with amused looks as you flashed a disarming smile. Prompto grinned and Gladio barked out a laugh. Noct was in deep thought at the prospects and Ignis returned your smile. Your eyes slightly watered as you silently sighed.

_I’ve missed this._

      “I’m still wondering, by the way,” Noct began. You hummed as you prepared to chop the Daggerquill. “How old are you?”

The butcher’s knife went through the meat and halfway through the table. You took a moment before you dislodged it and wiped the blade with the cloth. The men exchanged anxious looks as you gave another smile– a chilling smile that was dangerously sweet.

      “… You’re lucky, you know that?” Some of the formality in your speech left your voice. You shifted the meat away from the gouge in the table and continued cutting as if nothing was amiss. You divided the portions into the bowls along with the mashed potatoes. “Going forward, I wouldn’t recommend asking that question so easily. But to quell your curiosity, **_as old as Eos_ **.”

      “Nooo…” Prompto laughed nervously as you directed the group to the other table. You merely tilted your head at him as his eyes widened. “NOOO………… **Really**? I mean, you don’t look a day over 22!”

      “Oh, sweet child,” You gently cradled his head to your chest, the blond reddening as he was held to your bosom. “Never change.”

The rest of the evening went off without incident. The conversation over dinner mostly consisted of you answering whatever questions the quartet had– mainly from Noct and Prompto.

      “Can you fly?”

      “I can glide.”

      “Does the Adamantoise actually exist?”

      “Sure. Though, I never kept track of where it went, surprisingly.”

      “What about Moogles?”

      “… Eat your potatoes, Prompto.”

The simplicity of the meal was well-flavored and surprisingly filling. Ignis pulled out his booklet and began taking notes; he tapped the end of his pen to his lips as he tried to remember how much cream and butter was used. It didn’t seem like you used any formal measurement aside from eyeballing it. The thought slightly irked him as he made a guess on the amounts you used. Ignis’s gaze slid over to you as you had walked into the back room and returned with the same corked flask from earlier. You shook the content over your poncho and let the red cloud dissolve the dried blood on the material. Noct stood up and approached you, holding out your damaged mask.

      “Here’s this, by the way,” he said as he handed it over. “I didn’t get to say this earlier, but thanks for saving my skin.”

      “Yeah, don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t here.” Gladio held his hand out and summoned your longbow. He tossed it to you with a grateful smile on his face.

_You’d all be dead, for one. And then everyone else in the world wouldn’t be too far behind._

      “It _is_ my goal to keep everyone alive.” You shook the flask and cleaned your mask and weapon.

      “And for that, we’re grateful,” Ignis said. “Not to mention, the meal was delicious.”

      “I’m sure you would have been more creative,” you contended. After all, you didn’t change the recipe much. “Maybe with Saxham rice and Leiden pepper instead?”

      “I had actually come up with a recipe using those ingredients!” His smile reflected his surprise at the apparent coincidence. “If it’s no inconvenience, would you tell me sometime about the history of meals in Eos? I’d like to see if I could recreate a few.”

      “Of course. I’d hate to disappoint.” You really did. They had no idea just how much you meant those words.

Ignis helped you clear both tables and wash the dishes in the stream. The other three had gone over to the futons you set out earlier and sank into the softness with a satisfied sigh. Noct immediately fell asleep the moment he rested his head on his pillow. Prompto laid on his side with his head propped on his elbow and played on his phone; Gladio sat back and chose to read a bit before turning in. You and the Advisor walked to the back room and stowed the bowls and knives away in comfortable silence. He watched as you took a bottle from a lower shelf and uncorked it. The contents appeared to be gray sand, but when you sprinkled it over the small garden it fell as though it were snow. When it touched the soil, it shimmered a sapphire blue before light green sprouts slowly peeked out.

      “What was that?” Ignis quietly asked in wonder. You replaced the bottle and kneeled to inspect the plants, motioning him down as you pointed to the dirt.

      “When I first put the garden in, I mixed in various seeds that only grow under certain conditions. The bottle I used had an agent that activated some of them.” You poked at the sprouts. “These ones will be carrots. They’ll continue to grow here until they’re harvested. The energy in the Sanctuary provides the necessary nutrients, so the plants won’t die out.”

      “Amazing… I can’t even imagine how you created all of these.” He gestured to the shelves filled with containers.

      “I’ve always had a knack for herbalism and alchemy.” You sat down and leaned back against the wall. “I’ve… had a lot of time to practice, but sometimes I still don’t think it’s up to par. There’s always room for improvement… you know?” Ignis felt the mysterious heartache settle into him again as he looked over you. Exhaustion laced your features as you breathed deeply. Your sudden show of vulnerability didn’t seem out of place at all. It’s barely been a day since they’ve known you, yet he felt as though he’s known you for longer.

      “If it’s any consolation, any amount of skill you have has the potential to help many.” You turned your head to him as he looked into your eyes. “Though my knowledge of the world may not be as extensive as yours, please do not hesitate to ask for assistance. I am more than willing to provide aid.”

He gave you a reassuring smile as he straightened and offered his hand to you. He had removed his gloves earlier when the two of you were washing the dishes, and yours had gone missing sometime between entering the Sanctuary and dealing with Libidine. You paused before you placed your hand in his and let him pull you to your feet. The skin-to-skin contact reminded you of a time long since passed, and you felt a strong resolve rise within you. You gave a squeeze before letting go. Though it was brief, he’d remember the softness of your skin.

      “I’ll take that into consideration, Ignis.” Your expression was gentle as you regarded him. “You have my thanks.”

When the two of you returned to the cavern, Prompto had fallen asleep with his head still propped up on his elbow, and Gladio was stretching before he placed his book down. You walked quietly over to the blond and carefully laid him down on his pillow; he sighed as he nuzzled into the plushness. You placed his blanket over him before turning to Noct to gently adjust the pillow under his head. He had a tendency of getting neck cricks.

      “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were their mother,” Gladio commented.

      “I _have_ been watching over all of you for a long time,” you said off-handedly. You stood and went to equip your bow and clip your poncho on. “I suppose it’s more of a habit at this point.”

      “I know I shouldn’t be surprised by now, but how long is ‘a long time’?” He and Ignis watched as you moved to stand under the skylight. Your eyes flicked over to them as you leaned on your hip.

      “Since before you were born.” You winked at their stunned expressions and pulled your hood over your head. “I need to leave for a while, but I will return– I’ll find you. Try not to get into any trouble, and for the time being: Absolutely _no going into mines_ until I say so.”

And with that, you were gone. Silence settled in the cavern, save for the dying crackle of the fire. Ignis looked to Gladio before going to his futon.

      “No mines, huh…? Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember ever seeing ________ in or around the Citadel.” Gladio yawned and laid on his back. These futons were ridiculously comfortable.

      “I’m confident she had her ways, with her supposedly being a _Astral_.” Ignis removed his glasses and set them aside. The lavender-scented sheets eased the stress out of his body as he relaxed into the material.

      “I’ll always remember one thing though.”

      “And what’s that?”

      “I punched a God. **Twice**.”

      “… Do remember to apologize when she returns.”

You smiled to yourself as you glided higher into the night sky. You caught the end of the men’s conversation just before you went out of range. With a slow exhale, you summoned a whirlwind to suspend yourself in the air. A faint silver glow emanated from your eyes and hair as you scanned the moonlit land.

      “Now then, Lunafreya: Which path did you take this time?”

  
  


* * *

  
  


      Ignis awoke to the cool morning air that settled in the Sanctuary, feeling surprisingly refreshed after the previous day’s events. Noct and Prompto were still fast asleep, and Gladio was nowhere to be seen– most likely went for a run not long ago. After a quick splash of water over his face, Ignis helped himself to the garden in the back room to make breakfast. He was surprised to find the carrot sprouts had fully grown overnight. He picked a few of them along with the wild potatoes and some onions. He hummed to himself as he found the same bottle you used and sprinkled the gray grains over the soil. With the same shimmer of blue, more sprouts crawled out under the morning sun. With a satisfied nod, Ignis returned to the cavern and began preparing the meal.

After Gladio returned and woke up the other two– with much resistance from Noct, who kept burying himself further under the covers– they all ate and stored all the furniture and bedding away afterwards. Ignis noticed you had left your mask behind. He wasn’t sure if you still intended on keeping it, so he decided to take it with him just in case. When they left through the passageway, Prompto made sure to take plenty of photos of the new runes you carved the night before.

The four set out to meet Monica at the Prairie Outpost, who informed them of a back door to the Norduscaen Blockade. Noct accompanied Cor to ambush and eliminate the Imperials from the inside while the others created a distraction from the outside. After a successful raid, they all reconvened only to encounter the Brigadier General soon after. With their combined efforts, they took down the Magitek soldiers and MA-X Cuirass but Loqi managed to retreat at the last minute in an airship. Cor had turned to leave with Monica when Noct stopped him.

      “Hey, got a minute before you go?” The Marshall nodded and motioned for his comrade to go on ahead.

      “What is it?”

      “It’s about ________.”

      “________?” Cor raised an eyebrow at the Prince. “So, you know now?”

      “I… suppose we do?” Ignis cleared his throat. “We encountered a daemon yesterday and… acquired additional intel on them.”

      “She’s told you she’s an Astral, right?” Cor crossed his arms.

      “Wait, you knew??” Prompto exclaimed.

      “________ requested I not mention anything without her say-so, but it seems she’s already told you. From the looks of it, you’re all taking it a lot better than I did.”

      “We’re still a bit skeptical, but it’s hard to deny what she’s capable of,” Gladio added. “How long have you known?”

      “Since my youth, when I first met her.” Cor shook his head as he continued. “I thought she was crazy at first, but after an… _interesting_ demonstration, I didn’t really have a choice but to take her word– albeit forcefully.”

      “Why would ________ approach you in the first place?” Ignis questioned. “I’m assuming this was before you joined the Crownsguard?”

      “She told me I ‘had an important role to play’ then did an information dump before disappearing. Since then, I would occasionally see her wandering around the city. After I joined the Crownsguard, she made regular appearances and often accompanied the late King Mors and King Regis whenever they left the city.”

      “She really _is_ old…” Noct mumbled. Ignis gave him a pointed look before he cleared his throat. “So do you really believe that she’s a God?”

      “After all this time, I’m still debating that. There are contradictions between what we’ve recorded in history books and what I’ve seen her do. But I wouldn’t be surprised if she still had a few things up her sleeves.” Cor turned his head before muttering under his breath. “… _If she_ **_wore_ ** _any_.”

      “Do you know why she chose to call herself ‘Ultor’ in the first place?” Gladio asked.

      “You’d have to ask her. A lot of what she does won’t make sense at times, but there’s _usually_ a reason for it.”

      “I see. Thank you for your input, Marshall.” Ignis nodded to him. “Would you like us to inform you when we see ________ again?”

      “No need. I’m sure I’ll see her when I’m meant to.” Cor gave a small bow before turning to leave. “Until next time.”

Left to their own devices, the group went to travel the lands beyond. Despite Gladio’s subtle protest to see his sister first, the quartet arrived at Wiz’s Chocobo Post only to find that none of the birds could be rented out. Upon hearing that a Behemoth was terrorizing and razing the land nearby, Prompto jumped at the opportunity and took up the quest. It wasn’t until they saw the beast up close that he began to have second thoughts. When Gladio had pointed out the damaged eye, Ignis noticed that one of its horns was missing. Could this have been the same Behemoth your arrows were made from? The thought crossed his mind after they felled the beast.

Not long after, the group arrived in Lestallum around the evening. Iris, Talcott, and Jared were ecstatic upon seeing them, the youngest especially. His eyes sparkled as he showed the men around the city, pointing between buildings and food stands before getting distracted by the local stray animals wandering about. Noct took this chance to broach the topic that’s been on everyone’s minds.

      “So, Iris, how…” Noct hesitated a moment before finishing his question. She turned to him holding a bracelet from a peddler’s table. “How did you make it out of the city?”

Iris paused before she gently placed the item back and walked over to him. Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto huddled closer.

      “Honestly, we wouldn’t have made it if we were alone.” She crossed her arms at the memory. “Someone was with us, keeping us safe up until we got past the Wall.”

      “Was it a civilian?” Gladio asked. Iris shook her head.

      “I don’t think it was a normal person. But they didn’t look like they were part of the Crownsguard or Kingsglaive.” She motioned her hands over head as she continued. “They were wearing a black hood, and had on some weird bird mask.”

Prompto gasped out loud as they looked to each other.

      “Did they tell you their name?” Prompto whispered loudly to Iris.

      “No, there wasn’t really any time for that. Everything was happening all at once…”

      “Did the mask look something like this?” Ignis brought out your mask and held it out. The young Amicitia held her breath as she tentatively touched the beak.

      “Yeah… Yeah, exactly like this! Where did you get it?”

      “We’ve also met up with this individual. Their name is–” He stopped himself. He wasn’t sure if he should be throwing your name out in the open, especially when you used an alias when you first met them. “–Ultor. They’ve helped us a great amount thus far.”

      “It looks pretty beat up though. What happened?” She pointed at the broken lens and loose stitchwork.

      “Gladio beat the crap out of them.” Noct struggled to hide his smirk as the Shield shot him a dirty look.

      “Gladdy!” Iris stomped to her brother and placed her hands on her hips. “Why do you always pick fights with people when you first meet them?!”

      “Look, you don’t get it. They were the epitome of suspicious–”

      “Was Ultor helping you guys before you beat them up?”

      “Well, yeah–”

      “Did Ultor put any of you in harm’s way?”

      “No, but–”

      “Did they fight back after you hit them?”

      “No–”

      “Ugh!” She threw her hands up. “You get so caught up in your head, you make the dumbest decisions sometimes!”

Talcott returned with a small dog following him, looking between the squabbling siblings. It wasn’t anything new to him, as he was used to them arguing on several occasions. The youth simply shrugged and grabbed Noct’s hand before leading him to the other stalls. Gladio and Iris followed after, with the former lightly mushing the other’s face. It almost felt like nothing happened. They were just out visiting another city for vacation, messing around and having fun. Iris suddenly grabbed Gladio’s hand and gripped it.

      “Gladdy…” she said looking down. “Could… Could we get some tea?”

Her brother looked at her and gently squeezed her hand. Ignis glanced back upon hearing the request.

      “… Yeah.” Gladio turned and called out to the group ahead of them. “Hey, we’re gonna check the cafe back at the Leville. You guys can keep looking around.”

      “But there’s one right over there!” Talcott proudly pointed to a corner building with a few bistro tables set out.

      “It’s ok, Talcott. There’s still a few things I need to bring to the hotel room anyway. But let’s check it out tomorrow, ok?”

The boy looked slightly disheartened but nodded at the prospect of spending time together the next day. Gladio and Iris walked back to the Leville as Prompto leaned in close to Noct.

      “I can figure they’d want some family time,” the blond whispered. “But… What does tea have to do with it?”

      “That’s always been their secret code,” Noct responded. “Iris heard one of Iggy’s puns when she was little, so she got the idea from him.”

      “Quali-‘tea’ sibling time.” Ignis adjusted his glasses as he watched the two Amicitias disappear in the crowd. “We should leave them be for the rest of the evening. In the meantime, I suggest we find some dinner before retiring for the day.”

The other two nodded somberly and continued following Talcott to a restaurant in the center of town. Prompto was nearly brought to tears from the savory taste of the meat skewers, while Ignis was writing notes down on the flavors of the curry with rice. Noct helped clean off sauce from the sides of Talcott’s mouth as he described hearing about a royal tomb behind a waterfall somewhere in the region.

Back at the Leville, Iris sobbed into Gladio’s shirt as they sat on the edge of her bed. He held her close and rubbed her back, struggling to hold back his own tears. Between each shuddering breath, Iris lamented on how she wished she had trained at an earlier age like Gladio, so that she could have helped fight with their father or saved the lives of their lost friends. Gladio expressed over and over that it wasn’t her fault, that he’s just glad she was still there with him. Deep down, they both knew that even if Iris had done so, Gladio would have truly been the last of the Amicitias. Their family pride was what overpowered their survivor’s guilt. It was hours before Iris cried herself to sleep in her brother’s arms. Gladio carefully carried her to bed and tucked her in, kissing her forehead before quietly leaving the room.

Gladio left the hotel and walked down a set of steps to an overlook. He leaned against the stone ledge and gazed out at the land, noting the Disc of Cauthess in the distance. He suddenly felt a wave of déjà vu as he recalled the image he saw back at Keycatrich Trench. He touched his forehead before looking to his side. Obviously, no one was standing next to him, and he certainly didn’t have a new injury on his face. He recalled the echo of the woman’s voice, and how calming her words were in that moment. Gladio suddenly felt a tinge of loss settle at the bottom of his stomach– though it wasn’t for his father, or Iris, or even himself.

Oddly enough, it was for you, of all people.

He shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets as he walked back to the Leville. He slowly opened the door back to Iris’s room, careful not to be too loud as he stepped through and locked it. He sat on the floor and leaned against the side of the bed, holding his little sister’s hand as he drifted off to dreams of their past.

Over the course of the following week, Iris joined the group as they took on hunts for extra income and even ran errands for the famed Professor Sania Yeager. They spent nights camping out on Safe Havens, though Noct had wished he had asked you where the other Sanctuaries were so he could sleep on one of those plush futons again. Upon their return to one of the hunter outposts, Noct collapsed in pain and clutched his head. The throbbing made his eyes water as he saw flashes of fire and a crater. An image of Lunafreya came to mind, along with you standing some distance behind her, eyes and hair glowing silver.

Though his headache did not last long, the frequency in which they occurred afterward made him wish he knew where you were. Ignis called Cor one evening to ask if he had seen you anywhere or if he had any way of getting in contact with you. To their dismay, the group was told that you only seemed to appear when you “felt like it.” Noct internally cursed you, as that logic seemed expected of an _Astral_. Ignis had determined that the visions were depicting the Disc of Cauthess, and they’d likely find a solution to the Prince’s ailment by going there. The group returned to Lestallum to restock, and to also drop Iris off to keep an eye on Talcott for a while.

      “Hey, Iggy?” Iris tapped on the Advisor’s shoulder and he turned to her.

      “Yes?”

      “Do you still have that mask?”

      “I do.” Ignis presented the damaged item. “I’ve been meaning to repair this, but we haven’t had much free time, as of late.”

      “I was actually planning on fixing it up, if that’s alright?”

      “I do not wish to burden you with this task, as I’m sure you’ve other responsibilities to attend to.”

      “It’s no trouble at all!” she replied with a bright smile. “I actually don’t have too much to do here, but I also want to do it as thanks for saving our lives back in Insomnia. You guys’ll eventually see Ultor again, right?”

      “I don’t doubt it.” Ignis wondered himself when he would see you again. For someone who claimed that they’d keep the group alive, your absence said otherwise. “But if you insist, here you are.”

      “This’ll be good as new the next time you guys visit!”

Iris, Talcott, and Jared bid the group farewell as they left to do other monster hunts and errands. They eventually made their way back to Galdin Quay to take on another task from the aspiring jeweler, this time for a rare gem in the Kettier Highlands. With Noct behind the wheel, they headed north and began approaching the desertland when the Prince suddenly pulled over by the ruins of a small building.

      “Everybody out. Let’s see what’s over there.” The Prince shut the car door and tossed the car key to Ignis before approaching a metal grate fence with signs posted.

**_KEEP YOUR DISTANCE or DIE_ **

**_Vicious Varmints and_ **

**_Dangerous Daemons!_ **

      “That’s quite the warning,” Prompto commented. “Whatever’s in there, it can’t be worth running into daemons.”

      “Maybe so, but it’s not like we haven’t fought daemons before.” Noct navigated over to the rubble and walked through the other side of the barricade. “I’m sure we can handle whatever’s in there.”

      “Noct, a moment.” Ignis tapped the brunet’s shoulder. “________ had suggested we avoid mines. Based off of the railway, this one must be abandoned. We should be on our way to the Highlands.”

      “Did she say why?”

      “Probably because of the obvious warning.” Gladio motioned back to the fence.

      “But we’ve fought plenty of daemons before: Goblins, Tarantulas, Arachnes, Flans–” Noct gestured to the mine opening. “I mean, nothing on the same scale as that spider lady, but she would have mentioned something if that were the case, right?”

      “Fair enough,” Gladio said thoughtfully. He was also pretty curious as to what was inside the mine. “It doesn’t seem like an Iron Giant could fit in there.” They all looked to the Advisor who, after a long moment, sighed in defeat.

      “We mustn’t stay too long.” Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose as Prompto ran after an excited Noct.

  
  


* * *

  
  


      You poured the iridescent solution into the smaller vials, the vibrant orange dissipating to a clear fluid. After placing the beaker down, you corked all of the vials and moved them aside on the stone slab. You just finished making an unrefined version of what equated to a Phoenix Down in the Sanctuary under Malacchi Pond. Though it was located underground, the ceiling had an enchantment that made it transparent. The refraction of the water and the shadows of the fish made the cavern seem otherworldly– more so with the glow of the runes. It wasn’t nearly as big as the Sanctuary near Keycatrich, but the inventory was mostly the same. You were about to start on a batch of Elixirs when you fell into a squat and let out a frustrated sigh.

 _Why were there so many Imperials at such a small refugee camp?_ You banged your head against the side of the slab. _I still got everyone out, but that was too close…_

You glanced to your poncho on the ground. It was thrown down in anger when you first arrived two days ago. It was still covered in blood, but it wasn’t yours.

 _At least I was able to find Lunafreya. I still can’t believe I agreed to let her travel alone until Angelgard. This time the rendezvous point is Galdin, so it’ll be easier to keep track of everyone from there on. Although this is the pilgrimage she_ **_must_ ** _make, this is the first time she doesn’t have an escort. Nyx was always the one who…_

You shook your head and sighed before pulling yourself up.

_She should be well protected with Pryna and Gentiana during the day. I’ll need to continue to keep an eye on her at night._

You picked up one of the vials and idly shook it as you walked the incline out of the Sanctuary. You approached the stone that covered the entrance and tapped it twice before the runes on it glowed brightly and slid open. The sunlight hit your eyes and you winced as you walked out to the open area surrounding the entryway. You brought your empty hand up and slowly closed it into a fist, creating a light breeze that pulled in the various scents and smells from afar.

 _The others should be arriving soon to get that gem._ You twirled the vial in your hands. _Is Iris with them this time or_ –

A familiar acridness caught your attention and you whipped your head in the direction it stemmed from. In a flash, you were speeding eastward.

 _That’s blood._ **_Fresh_ ** _blood._

Your stomach dropped as you passed the Regalia parked near Balouve Mines. You closed in on the smell and stopped when you got to the entrance, nearly crushing the vial in your hands at the sight before you. Prompto and Ignis were supporting each other as they limped heavily. Gladio had several cuts over his torso and was carrying an unconscious Noct on his back– the primary source of the smell you followed. The Shield glanced up to find you stomping toward them.

      “____–”

      “Lay him down.”

Gladio had only knelt before you were behind him quickly but carefully pulling the Prince off. A deep crimson oozed out from his stomach and his breathing was shallow. You could still hear his heartbeat, but it was weak. You were thankful you had brought the vial with you as you rapidly shook it while lifting up Noct’s head. You popped the cork off and carefully poured the radiant orange fluid into his mouth. You all watched as the glow shot down to his abdomen and slowly sewed the wound closed. His face was no longer contorted in pain as he let out a breath. Noct’s eyes fluttered open, his unfocused ones meeting your sharp stare. You pulled him up and draped him over one of your shoulders with ease. You approached Prompto and yanked him over your other shoulder before briskly walking out, the brunet groaning from the sudden nausea overtaking him and the blond struggling in your strong grip. Gladio went to support Ignis before he fell over, the two of them shell-shocked from what you did.

      “Gladio, carry Ignis,” you called back. The men looked to each other before Ignis hesitantly climbed onto Gladio’s back. It didn’t seem like a good idea to go against your word. Again.

      “Ah, __-________ , I can walk so you can put me down!” Prompto’s pleas were ignored as you made your way to the Regalia.

      “I think I’m gonna…” Noct dry heaved as he tried to steady himself. With a twirl of your finger, the scent of peppermint filled his nose and settled some of the queasiness.

Ignis and Gladio arrived right as you summoned a gust of wind to lift Noct and Prompto into the backseat. Noct wasn’t coherent enough to register what was happening, whereas Prompto had only let out a string of panicked nonsense. As Ignis climbed down from Gladio, you approached and began patting his jacket down. The Advisor was about to ask what you were doing before you pulled out the key to the Regalia from one of his inner chest pockets.

      “Get in.”

      “________ , we–” Ignis cut himself off when he met your eyes. He could feel the lividness seep out as you closed in on him, standing chest to chest.

Then came your voice– slow and deliberate, barely above a whisper, “Get. In. The **FUCKING**. Car.”

That was more than enough to get Ignis and Gladio moving. Gladio helped Ignis into the passenger seat before he piled into the back with Noct and Prompto. You got in the driver’s seat and immediately sped off, heading back to the Malacchi Pond Sanctuary. There were several other Sanctuaries along the way, but none of them had what you needed to get the quartet healed.

You were speeding and weaving past the other cars on the road. Ignis was already nervous with your reckless driving, but he nearly had a heart attack when you took both hands off the wheel and stood to prop yourself up on the seat. You kept one foot down on the accelerator and used your other knee to continue steering. You jutted your left hand out and shot a spear of air to the distance. Almost immediately, an explosion could be heard followed by a crash. Prompto leaned over Noct to see the fiery carcass of an Imperial airship. You opened your hand and twisted it as you closed it into a fist, creating a vacuum around the wreckage to snuff out the flames. Still steering with your knee, you bent backwards and jutted your other hand outward. Gladio felt the rush of air fly past his head as you took down another airship that barely caught sight of you all. You extinguished the flames after it plummeted and returned to your seated position, teeming in vexation.

After a silent car ride, the Regalia skidded to a hard stop before you hopped out and sent a pulse of wind that catapulted Noct and Prompto out of the backseat. You caught them as you walked toward the Sanctuary entrance, one over each of your shoulders. The blond let out a strained grunt as he landed and the brunet coughed out a harsh dry heave. Gladio helped Ignis out of the car and opted this time to bring his arm over his shoulder and support him from the waist. They followed you until you stopped in front of a large stone and tapped your boot in a rhythmic pattern on it. Blue symbols shined on the surface as it shifted to the side, revealing the incline down to the Sanctuary.

You descended down the corridor with the men in tow. Ignis and Gladio gaped at the ceiling in wonder while Prompto wiggled in your grip to scan the cavern. You turned down a short hallway to a wide spacious room where a large pool of water was in the center, the edges bordered with polished obsidian. You let Prompto out of your grip and steadied him before gently placing Noct on the ground.

      “Clothes off, then get in the water.” You walked past them heading to the in-wall shelves outside the room to grab several bottles and flasks. “Let me know when you’re all in.”

      “Er, clothes off?” Prompto pulled on his bracelet nervously.

      “________ , listen–” Gladio was cut off when you stomped back and pulled him down to your eye level by the collar of his jacket. Ignis stumbled with him and you grabbed the bespectacled man by his shirt as well.

      “Strip, and get in the water.” You pulled them in closer so that you were between their ears. “I will not tell you again.” You lightly pushed them back before leaving the room.

The men looked to each other before discarding their clothes. It wasn’t as if this was the first time they’ve seen each other naked, but the situation made it more awkward than it should have. Ignis helped Noct undress since he was still going in and out of consciousness– though he made sure the Prince was awake enough to take off his own pants and underwear. Prompto was first in the water, careful to keep his wrist out of sight the moment he took off his bracelet. He gasped as swirls of violet light broke across the rippled surface. There was a ridge under the water where he took a seat; the others stepped in after and sat before calling out to you.

      “We’re all in, ________ .” Ignis stated before you quickly returned with arms full of clinking bottles and flasks. You tossed them to the center of the water where they bobbed on the surface. You shed your boots and fitted black nylon pants before stepping in, left in only your black tube top and what was could only be described as a black G-string. The Shield looked you over with wide eyes and a slack jaw before returning to your face, whereas Ignis and Prompto instantly went red and averted their eyes. Noct was unconscious again and slowly sank under the water. You sloshed over to the Prince and pulled him back up to a sitting position, respectfully keeping your gaze away from his waist before returning to the center.

Taking a deep breath, you clapped your hands together and thrusted them into the water. A bubble of air burst through the surface and lifted the bottles and flasks into the air. They spun around you as your eyes adorned a faint silver glow. Your skin began shimmering and the water by your thighs whirled around you, creating a circle of radiant violet that slowly expanded. You opened your arms and snapped your fingers, shattering the floating containers and releasing the contents into the water. Everything, including the glass, dissolved and made the water sparkle gold. All of the men’s wounds slowly healed and a surge of energy flowed through them; they felt reinvigorated and stronger than ever. You lowered your hands and your eyes returned to normal as the water ceased glowing. The temperature began to rise and steam gently flowed up from the surface; a collective sigh came from the men as the warmth of the water eased their fatigue.

      “Stay as long as you need to in here.” You trudged through the water and jumped out, padding past them to lift their clothes with bursts of wind. You swirled them into a sphere and left the room with it– still without your pants or boots on. Ignis passed a glance at your retreating figure, but turned to clear his throat when Gladio made eye contact with him and raised his eyebrows. Noct opened his bleary eyes and glanced to the others in confusion. He was still feeling slightly nauseous.

      “… Can I ask why we’re together in a hot tub naked?”

      “A lot happened while you were out, man.” Prompto dipped his head under the water and shook his hair out. The dirt and dried blood that washed out dissipated in a soft violet glow.

      “I really hope it’s not what I think.”

You walked back into the room and placed robes and sandals behind each of the men. You lightly tapped Prompto’s shoulder before slipping your hand under the water to his right hand. He felt you hand him something before turning away and leaving again. He was panic-stricken when he instantly recognized it as his bracelet. Noct was unashamedly fixated on your lower half before he looked away in shock.

      “What the _hell_ happened?”

      “You were impaled by the Aramusha we encountered on the bridge in the mine, and thrown down from it.” Ignis removed his fogging glasses and placed them behind him. “It took some effort to navigate to you, but we all made it out in one piece.”

      “But we may have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire,” Gladio commented as he splashed water over his face and glanced down at his chest. The cuts he had gotten from the Goblins were completely healed; not a scar was left behind. “________ caught us at the entrance. She’s the one who brought you back and took us down to a Sanctuary.”

      “What do you mean she brought me back?” Noct looked to Prompto, who returned a pained expression.

      “… You nearly bled out and died, Noct,” Ignis said in a grave manner. “It was my mistake for not checking our potion inventory– and for even permitting us to enter the mine in the first place.”

      “Don’t blame yourself, Iggy. I was the one who insisted.” Noct placed a hand over where his wound was, vaguely remembering an orange glow in its place. “I’ll take responsibility for this one.”

      “I dunno, Noct,” Prompto said with uncertainty. “________ was pretty pissed when she found us. Even make the big guy here nervous.”

      “No, she didn’t.” Gladio protested.

      “Dude, she made you _piggyback_ Iggy to the car.”

The light bickering of the four men in the other room echoed into the cavern where you stood with a flask. The clothes swirled in front of you as you swished the flask until a purple glow emanated from it. You uncorked it and splashed the liquid over the clothing, repairing the tears and rips while also refreshing the fabrics. After replacing the flask, you lowered the clothes onto the stone slab and quickly folded them into neat piles. You checked on the stew you had prepared and sniffed it before adding a few more herbs. You opted for braised beef stew this time, served with some small loaves of bread you baked earlier.

Roughly 20 minutes passed before you heard the sloshing of water from the other room. Prompto was the first to enter the cavern. He found you working in front of a small burner on the stone slab, grinding together several herbs and powders. He stopped short and quickly covered his eyes when he noticed you still weren’t wearing any pants. He took a few breaths before chancing a peak through his fingers. Not to his surprise, you were already staring at him. You nodded him to a chair next to the fire before returning to your task. Prompto took his seat and kept his head down as the other three entered. Noct stared at the enchanted ceiling, instantly mesmerized by the aquatic life above. A nudge in the back brought the Prince back to reality as Gladio motioned him to a chair. Ignis followed and took a breath to prepare for the worse, though he was vaguely distracted from the savory smell of the stew.

You added the final ingredients to your mixture before carefully adding a drop of a solution to it. A black plume puffed out on contact before you quickly scooped it into a beaker and placed it over the burner. The others watched as it slowly turned into sludge and bubbled. You grabbed the solution again and added one last drop. In an instant, the muck burned a bright orange as it liquidized. You swiftly removed it from the burner and poured it into the vials you had prepared. The glow slowly died out as it turned clear as water. After sealing them with corks, you placed them aside and blew the flame out for the burner. You slowly walked to the other side of the stone slab and propped yourself up on the edge. The men had a difficult time keeping their eyes on yours as you crossed your legs– though they mostly felt trapped in your piercing gaze, if anything.

      “I’m sure you’re all responsible adults who can make rational decisions,” Your voice was ice cold. “But I would really like to know your reasoning for ignoring **blatantly** clear warnings, both written and verbal.”

Noct glanced at Ignis, who returned a resigned look before he took a breath. The Advisor was prepared to take the blame, as he was more than accustomed to while growing up with the Prince.

      “It was my fault.”

The admittance came not from him, but from the raven-haired Royal sitting next to him. Ignis opened his mouth to dispute, but Noct had stood to approach you.

      “… Your fault?” You quirked your eyebrow and crossed your arms.

      “I made the others go with me and… We fought daemons before, so it’s not like we didn’t have any experience with them.” As much as the Prince wanted to back down as your eyes bore holes into his, he continued. “But… I know it’s no excuse. And I’m sorry that we–”

      “ _I’m_ not the one you should be apologizing to,” you interrupted. “Your recklessness put _your life_ at risk. The moment you involved others, you became responsible for theirs.”

Noct lowered his gaze in shame and became silent. You made a good point. His curiosity got the best of him, and that’s what made your words hit him where it hurt. He knew that Gladio could obviously take care of himself, but Ignis and Prompto originally weren’t expected to have the same physique or durability as the Shield of the King. Though they could hold their own, they hadn’t been training since birth.

      “The damage is done and over with. No point staying hung up over it.” You hopped down from the stone slab. Dark blue eyes met yours as a wry smile slid across your lips. “You shouldn’t become dependent on this, but consider me your safety net when you do trip over yourselves. Because you always somehow get into trouble.”

Noct felt his footing become unsteady as his vision shifted. He watched himself fall down an icy chasm, though from another person’s perspective. The person’s hand reached for his before their arms wrapped around him, shielding him from the rough walls as the two slid down an opening. Noct could hear panicked shouts from Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto echo far above as they fell further and further down. Turn after turn, bump after bump, they landed hard. Noct heard himself groan and grab his leg. The person quickly moved to his side to find a well-sized icicle going through his thigh. Blood was quickly seeping through his pants.

 _“Shit…”_ He clenched his eyes shut in pain. Noct noticed a familiar leather poncho as the person pulled out a vial.

 _“Noctis, I need you to stay as still as possible.”_ A woman’s voice echoed in the small cavern they landed in. The vial was shaken until it emitted a fluorescent blue light. _“I’m going to pull this out. The moment I do, you have to drink this right after.”_

Noct’s persona slowly opened his eyes and widened in shock as he looked at the person. Deep gouges covered their body, yet they were acting as though nothing was amiss.

 _“________ …!”_ He tried to sit up, only to be gently pushed back down.

 _“Stay_ **_still_ ** _.”_

_“But what– What are you– What are you even doing here? How did you–”_

_“Because you always somehow get into trouble.”_ Noct watched your scarred hand uncork the vial and place the other on the icicle. _“Ready? One… Two… Thr–”_

Noct blinked and was suddenly being supported by you holding him up. He glanced around and found himself back in the cavern of the Sanctuary. Prompto was on his other side holding him up and Ignis was in front of him checking his eyes. Gladio had knocked his seat over from moving over to him.

      “Noct, you alright, buddy?” Prompto’s voice was laced with concern as he guided his friend back to his seat. “You kinda spaced out there.”

      “Is this a side effect from the potion you gave him?” Ignis inquired.

      “Dizziness and lightheadedness are not uncommon,” you replied as Noct plopped down. You knelt beside him and slowly circled your hand in front of him, summoning a soft breeze that smelled of ginger root. “But it’s a bit different for everyone. It was all I had at the time I found you guys, otherwise I would have given him a refined one.”

The Royal stared at his thigh, then scanned you. The wounds he saw were so vivid, as if he had actually seen them before. “We… haven’t been in any ice caves… have we?”

You froze and your expression blanked as Gladio spoke up. “… No? We haven’t. What makes you ask that?”

      “I just…” Noct looked to you, hoping to find some sort of confirmation. “I saw something, just now.”

      “Saw something? You mean another vision? Is your head OK?” Prompto asked.

      “It seemed like a vision, but no headache. This one was different…” Noct shook his head. “We were in an ice cave. And… I saw myself falling, but ________ caught me. We fell down a hole and landed; I hurt my leg and she was pretty beat up from the fall.”

 _It’s not possible for him to even see this…!_ You looked up and found dark blue eyes searching yours. _Unless… Unless it has to do with this final cycle._

_Oh._

_Oh no._

The others shifted their gaze onto you. They all remembered a similar feeling they experienced ever since they met you.

      “Did you see it from your perspective or ________ ’s?” Ignis was the first to speak up. He hadn’t been able to get the image of a desolate Insomnia out of his head. He remembered reading about how some people were given visions by the Astrals, but as far as modern history was concerned those were nothing more than myths. Then again, there were only supposed to be six Astrals and yet here you were.

      “From ________ ’s… It was really weird.”

      “Has this happened before?” Gladio asked as he crossed his arms. The view of the moonlit land never left his thoughts, and as he thought about it more, he could easily recognize your voice comforting him.

      “No, I’d remember if it did.” Noct looked to you. “Can you show visions or hallucinations or whatever I saw?”

You remained silent before standing. Your eyes looked over everyone and landed at Prompto, the only one who had looked away from you while clutching his right wrist absentmindedly.

      “Yes, but…” You internally cringed before you continued. They couldn’t know the truth. And you weren’t about to tell them anytime soon. You hoped the lie that left your lips would be enough. “I can’t show things that aren’t related to ‘ _you_ ’ or ‘ _your_ ’ future.”

      “What do you mean?” Prompto’s voice trembled ever so slightly. He felt he would find the answers he’d been looking for if he knew the meaning behind _whatever_ he saw a week ago when he was with you in Keycatrich Sanctuary. There was also the fact that you handed him his bracelet without a word.

      “What I mean is…”

_I’ve gotten weaker. My power is waning._

      “… The ‘ _you_ ’ right now. What ‘ _you_ ’ have experienced. What relates to ‘ _you_ ’ right here, right now.”

      “Then what did you just show me?” Noct was beginning to get confused. He figured it made sense now how you knew about the invasion of both Insomnia and Tenebrae, but there was still the fact that he saw something that wasn’t apparently related to him or his future.

      “… I can’t tell you.”

      “Are you kidding me?”

      “You weren’t supposed to see _anything_ , just–” You let out an exhausted sigh. “Look, what you saw has not happened to ‘ _you_ ’, nor will it ever happen– not while I’m around. I give you my word on that.”

      “If we do see something…” Prompto looked at you apprehensively. “Will it always be something bad?”

      “Not necessarily.”

_I hope. This must mean the others aside from Noctis saw something. Of all the luck…_

      “Why is it you can’t tell us?” Ignis asked.

      “Even Gods are allowed their secrets, no?” You watched green eyes slightly narrow at you, though more with concern rather than suspicion. “Keep in mind that my goal is to ensure all of you stay alive. Safety net, remember?”

Gladio crossed his arms and furrowed his brows in thought. If it weren’t for you, Noct would have died, and he would have failed his duty as his Shield. His mind was made up. He decided to put his trust into you. Not just because you were a valuable ally, but also to make it up to you. He disliked being indebted to someone on more than one occasion, and you already had a head start. Gladio wasn’t sure how he could make it up to a so-called Astral, but he figured trusting you was a step in the right direction.

      “Personally, I’d rather not depend on a safety net,” the Shield said as he leaned and placed his hand on his hip. “But I’m grateful you’re around, so I’ve got no complaints.”

      “I see.”

      “But ya know, for a God, you kind of don’t act like one.” The Shield had a twinkle in his eye as you gave him a blank look.

      “… You’re not the first to tell me that, and yet I’m somehow always surprised.”

_Even after all this time, I still don’t see it._

      “Astrals always seemed to be more, I dunno, graceful? Articulated?” The Prince leaned back in his chair and gave you an uninterested look. Was he suppressing his worries? Of course he was. He thought, maybe, if he went with the flow, things would work out. You haven’t led them astray so far, and you’ve saved his life _twice_ now. But then, things were supposed to work out with going to Altissia and returning home. And how did that turn out?

      “Graceful and articu– Look, here.” You placed both of your hands on your hips. “Have you thought about not romanticizing things to the point of putting them on such a high pedestal that they’re not accurate whatsoever?”

      “You’re walking around half-naked!”

      “Do you know how uncomfortable clothing is after not needing them until the last few millennia? It’s so constricting. Even just wearing this–” You motioned to your top and stringed undergarment. “It’s too much. I don’t need to protect my body from the elements of harsh weather.”

      “Wait, you used to just–??” Prompto’s face began to redden and he squeaked. “You just– you just– walked around… n-naked??”

      “Yes…?” There was a slight inflection in your tone, indirectly asking what the problem was.

      “Though your reasoning is sound, ________ , surely you don’t approach others like this?” Ignis was covering his mouth as he struggled to keep his eyes on yours. You noticed a slight flush to his cheeks. “I’m certain most would have some discourse about your… attire.”

      “Where does this put Gladio? He walks around with an open shirt or no shirt at all.” You raised your eyebrow at Gladio as he eyed you. He did an exceptional job making the wandering of his eyes subtle, but you knew better.

      “He’s no exception. Even Gladio can dress himself when needed.”

      “Hey!”

      “ **Fine** . I’ll put pants on.” You walked back to the other room muttering under your breath. “ _Awekatnamaz nu'ibad ad usnifafut ad enatum_ –…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *crawls out from under a rock and throws this out*
> 
> It was suggested in the comments of [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0djgZkNLUkA) that the language used for the Astrals was Hausa in reverse. It hasn't been officially confirmed, but that's what I've decided to use for this series.
> 
> As such, here's a translation:
> 
> "Iadiad" -> reversed = "Daidai" -> English translation from Hausa = "Correct"
> 
> "Awekatnamaz nu'ibad ad usnifafut ad enatum" -> "Mutane da tufafinsu da dabi'un zamantakewa" -> "People with their clothes and social values"
> 
> But then again, Google translate can only be so accurate, amirite?
> 
>  
> 
> Wanna hang? Crawl on over to my [tumblr](http://perks-of-being-blackinese.tumblr.com/).
> 
> If you feel like it, you can [support me on Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/G2G6KFYG)!


	3. Chapter 3

      The moment you stepped out, a collective sigh was let out from the men. Ignis’s hand moved to the bridge of his nose and he massaged it while taking slow deep breaths. Prompto meekly sat back down and scratched the back of his neck. Noct crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed. Gladio walked over to the stew over the fire and stirred the ladle to distract himself.

A couple of minutes passed before you returned, wearing your nylon pants and boots along with a sour expression. You went to grab wooden bowls and spoons for the men, shuffling past Gladio to grab the ladle from him. You served him a generous amount and shooed him away to his seat. You filled the remaining bowls and handed them out, occasionally bending one leg as the stiffness of your pants continued to bother you. Ignis ate a spoonful and his eyes instantly lit up. He’d made a note to ask you about the spices and herbs you used later. You handed each of them a small loaf of the bread you baked.

      “Is Iris doing well?”

      “Yeah, she’s doing good, all things considered,” Gladio answered without much thought.

      “How’d she hold up in battle?”

      “She’s pretty agile,” Prompto said with a full mouth. “But maybe that’s just ‘cause she’s small.”

      “Yeah, she– wait a minute.” Noct paused mid-bite and looked at you. “We’ve never mentioned Iris at all to you.”

      “Doesn’t mean I don’t know about her.” You walked back to the stone slab and picked up a few of the vials. You turned and grabbed a stone cylinder from a shelf nearby, and you placed it down before arranging the vials in the center. “Did you forget I’ve been watching over all of you since before you were born?”

      “No, but…”

      “But?”

      “It’s admittedly slightly unsettling that you presumably know so much about us, and yet we know practically nothing about you, in comparison,” Ignis brought up. You glanced at him before grabbing a large sack and a few bottles.

      “All you have to do is ask.”

      “Will you actually provide answers other than ‘It’s complicated’ ?”

      “Depends on the question.” You poured black powder from the sack into the cylinder and placed the bottles upside down to cover each vial. “You don’t always have to ask deep and meaningful questions. Don’t you want to know what my favorite color is?”

      “Quite frankly, ________ , I’d like to ask you something more relevant.” Ignis watched you shuffle around for flint and steel, finding them tucked behind a few flasks on the shelf. You struck the two against each other over the powder.

      “Ask me what my favorite color is.” Sparks flew out and flames immediately flew up. You took a cast iron cover from the shelf and placed it over the cylinder.

      “As I said, I’d rather–”

      “Ask me what my favorite color is.” You leaned forward on the stone slab and rested against it.

      “________ , I–”

      “Ask me what my favorite color is.”

      “Are you serious?” The Advisor slightly narrowed his eyes at you. The cast iron cover shook slightly.

      “Ask me what my favorite color is.” You tilted your head innocently.

      “I didn’t think you’d be this childish–”

      “Ask me what my favorite color is.”

      “________ , I’m serious.”

      “Oh, so am I. Ask me what my favorite color is.” You glanced at the cylinder, which was now shaking rather violently. The victim of your immaturity seemed to pay it no attention. Prompto raised his hand slowly. Noct and Gladio stared apprehensively at flames spilling out past the cast iron cover.

      “Uh, ________ , what’s your favorite–”

      “Ask me what my favorite color is.” You propped your head on both of your hands and slightly puckered your lips. “ _ Ignis _ .”

He let out a slow and heavy sigh as his eyes bore into yours. The clanging of the two metals was almost deafening.

      “________ , what is your favorite–”

      “I don’t have one.”

Ignis’s eye twitched.

The cast iron cover bursted off the cylinder and lodged itself in the ceiling. Prompto fell out of his seat, and Noct and Gladio dropped their bowls. Ignis nearly fell back in his seat before he caught himself. Thick smoke filled the air before you waved your hand and gathered it all into a sphere. You motioned it out through the entrance to the Sanctuary and released it. You slowly pulled out one of the bottles from the now gray powder in the cylinder. The vials that were once covered had melted and now wrapped around the end of the bottle, sealing it in a translucent ornate pattern. The contents gained a permanent orange glow, and you brushed off any remaining granules before doing the same to the remaining bottles.

      “This powder is enchanted to increase in temperature when the flames detect any nearby negative energy.” You tossed one of the glass containers in your hand before holding it in front of Ignis. “The solution only evaporates at extremely high temperatures, and it has to happen within a very short timespan. With the lack of oxygen in the bottles, the solution condensates and ends up dissolving nearly all it touches. I create the vials out of a special mix of sand, which contains the necessary ingredients for the solution to reach its final stage. Thus, a refined version of a liquid Phoenix Down.”

You wiggled the bottle in front of Ignis, who looked at you incredulously before carefully taking the bottle from you.

      “Then, the point of you being obnoxious–” He lightly gripped it as he gave you a heavily unamused look. “–was to make the powder burn hotter?”

      “The point was to get  **you** upset enough to make the powder burn hotter. This refinement process would normally take hours in order to get the right temperature, even with enchanted sand. You helped get it done under  _ one minute _ .” You stretched your arms above your head and huffed as your arms dropped. You poked Ignis’s forehead and leaned in. “Don’t be such a  _ hothead _ .”

You shot Ignis a sly smirk and winked at him before patting his cheek. He blinked in surprise as you turned and picked up your poncho. You cleaned off the dried blood with a flask containing the red liquid, and shook out the clinging red mist. You placed the completed bottles and a few other vials in the inner pockets before slipping it over your shoulders, pulling the hood over as you tilted your head to the Advisor.

      “Out of everyone, you have the most pent up frustrations and anger. Try not to let it affect your health too much.” You walked up the slope toward the entrance of the Sanctuary. “Once you’re all finished, get dressed and let’s head out. I know you need to get gems.”

The men were dumbfounded, to say the least. Ignis lightly touched his cheek and felt a flush of embarrassment wash over him. He looked to the others, who in turn were looking at the bespectacled man with a knowing look.

      “Well,  _ now _ do you believe me when I told you so many times before to take it easy?” Gladio spoke in amusement.

      “Yeah, Ignis,” Noct added cooly. “Maybe having ________ around will be good for you. So you’re not so stressed.”

      “Dude, I’m pretty sure most of Iggy’s stress comes from  _ us _ .” Prompto whispered as he pointed between himself and the Prince.

      “… We should tidy up and be on our way.” Ignis cleared his throat before standing. “We’ve wasted enough time already.”

      “Sure thing, Mr. Hothead.” Gladio picked up his bowl with a smile as Ignis glared at him.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


      “Oh. Em. Gee.”

You heard distant muffled whimpers from Prompto as the group tried to sneak past the Zu slumbering on top of the mineral deposit. You opted to stay on standby in a nearby oak tree, as your reasoning was to help them ‘gain more experience’. Though, you had to admit: you didn’t expect them to encounter the Zu a second time. You’ve always known them to only see it once before finally defeating it. At this point, you were taking the unexpected changes with a grain of salt. Or rather, you were  _ forcing _ yourself. Worrying over everything again wouldn’t do anyone any good. But after conditioning yourself for so long, you had your doubts.

      “Noct, what’s taking so long?!” You heard Gladio whisper harshly.

      “It’s literally right on top of it! I can’t get it without waking this thing up!” Noct shot back.

      “Now what do we do??”

      “Prompto, stay calm. We need to be patient, else we’ll be caught.”

      “You make it sound so simple, Specs!”

You soundlessly leapt to another tree closer to the action and landed on a branch, sweeping your poncho off to the side before hanging upside-down. Leaves fluttered down from the breeze that followed you and landed near a crouched Ignis. He glanced down and quickly looked above him to find the disturbance. He made brief eye contact with you before turning his attention back to the Zu, though it seemed he didn’t really register you being there, as he did a double-take with widened eyes.

      “Having trouble?” you asked in a louder than preferred volume.

Prompto’s shriek was immediately covered by a panicked Ignis’s gloved hand. The leather seemed to have slapped the poor blond fairly hard, as you noticed his eyes water slightly. Gladio rushed to Noct and dragged him back to the other two as the Zu ruffled its large wings before falling back asleep.

      “Are you completely  **MAD** ?!” Ignis hissed at you. He relinquished his hold on Prompto once he felt the other tap repeatedly on his arm. “I thought you said you weren’t coming!”

      “I say a lot of things,” you replied at the same volume while swinging yourself back and forth. “A Zu can’t be woken that easily. What gets them is the smell of fear. So just stay calm and you’ll be fine.”

      “Easy for you to say!” Noct objected. “That thing could crush us if we try to crawl under it!”

      “Where exactly is the deposit?”

      “Right under there.” The brunet pointed to the spot just under the wing.

      “That certainly is in a difficult spot.”

      “Ya think?!”

      “Well, I could help, if you’d like.” You stopped swinging and crossed your arms. “But in return, I get to keep whatever you get from completing this errand.”

      “Then there’d be no reason for us to be doing this in the first place,” Gladio countered. “That journalist offered to make something fancy that would help in battle.”

A guttural chirp rumbled from the Zu as it shifted its body further onto the mineral deposit, making the men groan under their breath.

      “He’s still learning the ropes of basic enchantments using the natural properties of gems.” You extended your arms and stretched. You didn’t notice the attentiveness paid to the curve of your back. “If we’re being honest, it wouldn’t do you any good. But you could consider me keeping your reward as compensation for saving you in the mines, despite me warning you not to go there in the first place.”

You let your arms hang past your head and looked to the men expectantly. You weren’t actually expecting any sort of compensation for helping them, but you knew how to guilt trip like no other. Looks were exchanged before the Prince nodded his head.

      “Alright. Go for it.”

A smile graced your lips before you slipped on your poncho, slid off the branch and landed upright, walking nonchalantly toward the Zu. Eyes widened as you disappeared under large feathers to locate the deposit. Upon finding it, you none too gently shoved part of the avian’s body up and held it out of the way with one hand. Ignis could have sworn he died in that moment as the fowl’s black eyes shot open. The men froze on the spot as large pupils whirled to where they were standing, though it didn’t move beyond that. You punched through the stone until the amethyst gems came loose, and calmly picked through the rubble and pocketed them. You released the Zu before returning to the group. The bird shifted its gaze to you before closing its eyes and falling back into slumber.

As you approached, you motioned for Noct’s hand and pulled out the gems. He stared at you as you handed them over and adjusted your poncho. With a raised eyebrow, you nodded your head back to where the Regalia was parked and waited for a response. Noct nodded with hesitation before standing and leading the way. You pulled Prompto up to his feet with ease and patted his back before offering to help Ignis and Gladio up. Each of the men grabbed one of your hands and you brought them up with no trouble.

      “Shall we?” You walked ahead before the two men gathered themselves and followed. Ignis stared at you absentmindedly until he heard a hearty chuckle.

      “She’s really something, ain’t she?” Gladio said with a smirk. Ignis didn’t miss the way the Shield’s eyes softened as he looked at your form.

      “… Yes, she certainly is a valuable ally.” The Advisor felt something prickle in the back of his mind as he kept his gaze on you.

The drive back to Galdin Quay was peaceful. Ignis had let out a silent sigh of relief when you hopped in the backseat rather than commandeering the keys again– though you sat up on the seat, much to his chagrin. Most of the conversation consisted of you answering whatever questions the men had for you. 

      “I’ve been wondering, ________ ,” Ignis asked. “You’ve mentioned before how you don’t eat, but how are you able to create such delicious meals?”

      “I check the scent of each ingredient.” You leaned back on your hands and closed your eyes, relishing the feeling of the wind rushing past your face and through your hair.

      “The scent?”

      “I’m particularly sensitive to smells. Some food pair better than others do. Certain amounts make a big difference, no matter how small. This includes the cooking time as well.”

      “Wouldn’t it be easier to just  _ taste _ the food?” Noct rubbed his eyes as he awoke from a short nap.

      “I can’t taste anything.”

      “Really?” Gladio turned his head to you, watching the strands of your hair flow behind you.

      “I don’t need to eat to sustain myself. If I do, it does nothing for me, but everything gets absorbed. With that, the only senses I have are sight, hearing, touch, and smell.”

      “Huh. So, does that mean if you did eat, you could eat whatever you want?” Prompto pull up his camera and snapped a few shots of you.

Your eyes opened and you leaned forward on your knees in thought. You tilted your head, considering the thought.

      “I suppose I could. The exceptions would be things like poison or anything else you’re not supposed to eat.”

      “What about the unrefined potions?” Noct asked.

      “Well, I do somewhat feel the side effects since it’s  _ technically _ not supposed to be consumed.”

      “Um,  **what?** ”

      “What?”

      “You made me drink one of those!”

      “You were  _ literally _ dying, Noct. Besides, it’s not that big of a deal.”

      “Not that big of a deal?? What if that killed me?!”

      “Then you’d be dead either way. Look–” You slid down and plopped in the seat as you pulled one of the vials out. “–This.  _ This _ –” You vigorously shook the vial until it glowed a bright blue and nearly shoved it in Noct’s face. “–Agitating it creates enough heat to make it glow and activate. Depending on the person, after consumption, it can cause uncomfortable warmth to remain in the stomach and the remnants of the liquid could continue to glow from 4 to 10 hours.  _ That’s it _ .”

      “Are you sure?”

You blinked at the question. A familiar sense of playfulness surfaced inside as you scowled, but amusement was clear in your expression.

      “Am I su– Yes, I’m sure! I’ve been making these since before your ancestors were born!  **Who do you think I am?!** ”

      “Someone who was probably arrested for public nudity at some point in their life.”

You stared at a smug-looking Prince who turned to the side and watched the scenery pass by, seemingly satisfied with his retort. You pushed his shoulder so his back was facing you, then grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over the back of his head.

      “HEY!” Noct flailed as you pulled him sideways in the backseat and switched places with him. With your back to the inside of the car door, you grappled his waist with your legs and held his thighs down before you dug your fingers into his exposed sides and tickled him.

      “Clothes! Are! Uncomfortable!” You dodged the brunet’s arms as he flailed trying to get out of your hold. He kicked his legs trying to get away, hitting Gladio’s knees and prompting him to join.

      “Gah– Hey! Watch it!” The Shield grabbed Noct’s legs with a grin and held them together as you continued your assault.

      “Al-Alright! Alright! I give! I GIVE!” Noct gasped between uncontrolled laughs, his hands feebly pulling at your arms to get you to stop.

Ignis watched through the rearview mirror and found he couldn’t bring himself to chastise you. The delight in your eyes drew him in, and he suddenly felt more inclined to let you do as you pleased. Prompto managed to get a few pictures, laughing all the while. Though, he couldn’t help but feel like he’s seen your expression before. He suddenly felt the urge to go through the photos of his old red digital camera– one of the last things he had to remind him of home.

Just as he moved to try to find it, Ignis pulled into the parking lot of the resort. Prompto made sure to remind himself later to look for it. Once the car was parked, you took a breath before pulling your hood over your head and sliding off the back of the Regalia. 

      “________ , don’t you think you’ll stand out a bit wearing that?” Gladio pointed at your poncho.

      “Says the one brandishing a giant eagle tattoo.”

      “Touché. But mine’s not removable.”

      “Not without a little effort and a knife.”

      “Yikes.”

You playfully nudged the Shield before walking to the port. As all of you approached the dining area, the greeter immediately recognized you.

      “Oh! Welcome back to Galdin Quay, Madame Spera!” He gave a gracious bow and smiled brightly. You nodded to him and continued walking. You walked past the Mother of Pearl and saw Coctura sauteing shrimp.

      “Madame Spera! It’s good to see you again!” the chef said with a grin. “We’ll be sure to get your room prepared for you and your guests…? Oh, it’s you four! It’s good to see you guys, too!”

      “Likewise, Coctura. I hope you’re doing well.” Ignis regarded her as he eyed you curiously.

      “I am, thanks for asking! By the way, Madame,” Coctura placed the pan down and leaned over the counter. “You were right! Dino just needed a little push, and now he’s finally doing something he enjoys!”

      “I’m certain it was mostly because you were the one who encouraged him.” She blushed at your comment and continued with her dish as you walked on.

      “So, ‘Madame Spera’, is it?” Ignis inquired. “Another alias?”

      “I would’ve used ‘Ultor’ but I couldn’t exactly be walking around here with a mask on and  _ not _ cause trouble.” You stopped at the top of the wooden stairs and waited for the others. “Though I used to when this place was still a fishing town.”

      “But why ‘Madame’, of all things?” Prompto asked. He suddenly gasped and tapped your shoulder. “Is this what you always do? Roleplay as other people? Do you dress up too??”

      “N… No, Prompto. Not really.” His face dropped but he smiled nonetheless as he let out a disappointed whine. You motioned him down the steps and let out a breath. “But… I’ll admit, it is interesting when I do have to use certain personas.”

      “I knew it!” He cheered out loud as he walked down, with Noct and Gladio following. “You gotta show me sometime!”

You shook your head and looked to Ignis.

      “After you.”

      “I couldn’t possibly allow a lady of your stature to wait on one such as I,  _ Madame Spera _ .” Ignis held his arm out and raised an eyebrow. “Or would you give me the honor of escorting you down?”

      “Ignis Scientia, are you…  _ mocking me _ ?” You placed a hand over your chest with your best shocked expression. “And here I thought you were a gentleman.”

      “A true gentleman always repays his debts.” He let down his arm and gave a small smile. “I hope one day the Madame will humor me in telling me what her favorite color  _ actually _ is, and not be such a deviant.”

      “A deviant?” You closed in on him and placed a hand against his chest. Ignis’s eyes widened as he took in your features. You lifted your gloved hand and traced it under his chin. He held his breath as he was paralyzed under your gaze. “All in due time, my dear Ignis.”

His cheeks flushed under your touch, and you couldn’t help but snort at his expression. You tapped the tip of his nose and stepped back, motioning him down the stairs. With a clear of his throat, he proceeded with a nod and a hidden smile while you followed behind.

_       Why did I do that? _

The thought ran through both of your minds.

You went down the steps and came upon Noct handing the infamous journalist the gems. The man smiled as he crossed his legs.

      “Much obliged, Your Highness. This amethyst is known to be difficult to harvest since its natural property is so strong.” He picked one of the gems up and held it up to the sunlight. “I’m actually surprised ya got ‘em all in one piece.”

      “We actually got some help from someone, so we can’t take all the credit.” Noct crossed his arms at the thought of running into the Zu a second time. “And I thought you were done blackmailing us?

      “Right, right. My lips are permanently sealed.” He moved his fingers across his lips.

      “Oh? You’ve been blackmailing again?” The sound of your voice made the silver-haired man freeze and drop his cool demeanor.

You rounded the corner and came up from behind the other men. As you stood in front of the journalist, you made a show of pulling your hood back and looking down your nose at him.

      “Madame Spera…! It’s, uh… It’s a pleasure seein’ ya again!” His sitting posture immediately straightened.

      “Hello, Dino.” You leaned on your hip. “I thought we talked about blackmail. Did you already forget?”

      “Of course not!” Dino answered quickly. “I was just thought it would’a been good experience for the royal retinue! Seein’ as to how they’re headin’ to Altissia…!”

His nervous laugh made your eyes narrow the smallest fraction. Dino gulped and clenched his hands in his lap.

      “Why must you turn this dock into a house of lies?”

      “Ok, ok! I lied! I just really wanted that gem, Madame!” He held his hands in front of his face. “I’m sorry!  **Please don’t make me bald again!** ”

You placed a hand over your mouth as if in thought. Ignis glanced at you and noticed the edges of your lips twitched as you struggled to hold back a smile. You were actually  _ amused _ over the fact that you were causing so much distress in one man. The bespectacled man took note to not get caught in your sadistic side.

      “As long as you understand.” You took a deep breath to calm yourself before moving your hand. “Now, then. When will you start working on it?”

      “O-Oh? Um, I was planning on starting now.” Dino tentatively lowered his hands as he stared up at you.

      “Good. I’m going to give you some pointers.” You turned back to the others. “This will take the rest of the day. Hang around in the meantime. Tomorrow, I’ll show you to the Disc of Cauthess.”

      “Wait, you knew we were headed there?” Noct asked.

      “Of course.” When the Prince continued to stare, you raised your eyebrow. “This is  _ me _ we’re talking about. Now, shoo.”

As you waved them off, Gladio couldn’t help but let out a choked scoff as they ascended the stairs. You sat down next to Dino and supervised him as he began his work. Noct and Prompto immediately left for the port to go fishing, while Gladio opted for a massage. Ignis sat at a stool at the Mother of Pearl to consult Coctura about new ideas for recipes.

      “By the way,” Ignis finished writing in his notebook before turning his attention back to the chef. “How did Madame Spera become so well-known here?”

      “Oh, her family’s been a long-time sponsor of the resort.” Coctura rolled up her sleeves as she rinsed some oysters. “She’s also regularly taken care of any trouble we’ve had with nearby monsters, as well as daemons at night.

      “Her family?” Ignis never even thought of the possibility, given that you had claimed you were a higher entity.

      “Six generations who helped support and protect a place that used to be a little fishing town.” She dried her hands on a towel and leaned over the counter, now completely invested in the story. “One hundred and fifty years ago, when Niflheim started making inroads in Lucian Territory, Madame Spera’s great-great-great grandmother, Madame Ferox, stood her ground and fought off the soldiers that tried to destroy the village, using just a bow and arrow! In the end, she made a compromise with the Empire to turn the town into a trading post instead, which inevitably benefitted both sides without leading to bloodshed.”

      “She fought with a bow and arrow? That’s certainly interesting…” He thought of your recurve longbow.

      “Isn’t it? It’s a bit far-fetched, if you ask me. But the bow’s been passed down from daughter to daughter ever since. Each generation retires after passing it on, and no one ever hears from them again.” Coctura tilted her head in thought. “Which, I guess is fine. They do so much for the resort, I don’t blame them for wanting some R&R.”

      “There wouldn’t happen to be any records of Madame Spera’s family, would there? I’m curious as to what her family looked like.” Ignis had an inkling of what to expect, but nonetheless wanted to confirm.

      “Of course! It’s in the Galdin Quay pamphlet, on the second to last page.” She pointed to a table where several leaflets were placed.

      “Thank you, Coctura. I believe I’ve taken enough of your time, my apologies for distracting you from your work.”

      “No need to apologize! You’re not nearly as bad as Dino, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.” She smiled at Ignis before returning to her prep work.

Ignis went to pick up the pamphlet Coctura mentioned and sat at a table as he turned to the page she mentioned. His inkling was correct, but he didn’t expect to feel so shocked. The first two photos were scans of painted portraits, but the facial structure remained the same in each picture. Had he not been told that you’ve been alive for several millennia, Ignis would have thought your “ancestry” simply had a remarkable trait. But, obviously, that wasn’t the case. It was undoubtedly you in every single photo, dressed in different attire with different hairstyles, posing with different expressions. Each portrait of you had a different name listed next to it: Madame Ferox, Madame Audax, Madame Fiducia, Madame Curae, Madame Custos, and Madame Spera. He read through the bios, noting how each highlighted parts of your personality he’s witnessed so far.

      “Having fun?”

Ignis jumped in his seat. You were leaning over his shoulder with your head close to his, glancing over the open pages. How did he not hear you sneak up behind him?

      “I… was speaking with Coctura about your background–” He adjusted his glasses and leaned slightly away from you to get some sort of composure back. “–Or rather, ‘Madame Spera’.”

      “Hmm…” You sat in the chair next to him and crossed your legs, propping your head up on your hand. “And? What do you think?”

      “If I’m being honest, I think it’s incredible that you’re the reason Galdin Quay is even here in the first place.”

      “Me? Don’t you mean my great-great-great grandma?” You lightly tapped on the first portrait.

      “Had you not claimed that you’re as old as Eos, I would have been none the wiser,” Ignis said in a quieted voice. He motioned the pamphlet in his hand. “This is the most definitive proof I’ve seen that shows you’re older than you look, at least 150 years old.”

      “A true gentleman doesn’t assume a woman’s real age,” you said with a raised eyebrow. Ignis couldn’t help but grin at your jab at his comment earlier. “But, out of curiosity, what makes you so sure?”

      “There are a number of smaller details that stand out. For example, your cheekbones.”

      “What about them?”

      “They’re defined in a way where they should show some sort of variation over the course of a few generations. Yours, however, remain the same in each photo. The same goes for your chin and jawline.”

      “Fair enough.” You stroked along your jaw in thought. “What else?”

      “Your eyes.”

You raised your eyebrows in interest and sat up.

      “Ooh, my eyes. Do tell.” You cradled your face with your hands and batted your eyes in jest. Ignis’s voice caught in his throat for the briefest moment before he humored you.

      “They have a certain… vibrancy to them. And the color of your eyes is hard to forget.”

      “There’s nothing special about my eye color,” you said leaning toward Ignis with a smirk sliding across your face. “But I’ll accept the fact that you get lost in them. Anything else?”

He didn’t actively have in this thoughts that he found himself looking into your eyes more than he should, but hearing you actually voice it made him more self-conscious the longer he considered it. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before answering.

      “… Your lips.”

You unconsciously slightly puckered yours upon hearing his response. You glanced to his, vaguely remembering an old memory.

      “And what about my lips?” you asked with a chuckle.

      “The shape of them hasn’t changed at all in the photos.” Ignis felt a hidden emotion slowly bubble to the surface of his chest. His cheeks began to warm up as he looked over your features. His green eyes stared into yours, searching for something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He sensed the answer somewhere deep inside, and he almost began reaching for it. But the closer he got to it, the more his heart began to hurt.

For you, of all people.

Ignis barely noticed the shift in his vision as he saw himself sitting before him, though noticeably from a slightly lower angle. He was no longer sitting in the dining area of Galdin Quay, but at the edge of a Safe Haven in the late evening.

_       “And what about my lips?” _ Your voice was filled with mirth as you giggled. Ignis saw his persona smile warmly before bringing his hand up. His vision shifted again and suddenly you were sitting in front of him, wearing that same black poncho. Love and adoration was apparent in your gaze as you grinned from ear to ear. Ignis’s hand cradled your face, his thumb lightly stroking your bottom lip.

_       “Your lips… are the softest mine have ever touched.” _

_       “Always the charmer.” _

_       “Only for you.” _ He leaned in closer, his lips gracing yours.  _ “ _ **_My love_ ** _.” _

      “ **IGNIS.** ”

Ignis blinked and found your face intimately close to his. His hand was on your cheek, his lips a hairline from yours. The loving look in your eyes was gone, and instead concern was reflected back. Ignis quickly pulled away and briefly stared at you before looking around, finding himself back at the table in the resort. Ignis glanced at Coctura, who had a front row seat and saw everything. She raised her eyebrows and pressed her lips together before awkwardly turning around at her cooking station.

      “Ignis.”

He turned back to you with a look of confusion. The realization of what he did slapped him across the face, and his cheeks burned a vibrant red as he avoided eye contact with you. You were unbothered, as you were more worried about his well-being.

      “I… I sincerely apologize, ________ . I don’t know what came over–”

      “What happened?” You grabbed his hand to bring his attention back to you. Ignis hesitated before his green eyes met yours.

      “It seems I experienced a… ‘vision’ of sorts.” His voice was low as he calmed himself. “Admittedly, this is the second one I’ve seen.”

You released your hold on Ignis’s hand and clenched your jaw as you swallowed.

      “This happened  _ twice _ ?” Fear laced your voice. “I… I didn’t mean to show you anything…! I’m sorry, I–”

      “No, it wasn’t anything bad, but… I just want to know the meaning behind it.” He took a breath before continuing. “It’s clear now that these ‘visions’ are unintentional on your part, and I’m certain that Gladio and Prompto have also experienced this.”

      “Ignis…” You were fighting with yourself, desperately wanting to tell him everything about everything. But you knew if you did, he’d never forgive you.

      “You’ve stated before that you cannot explain why we’ve seen what we’ve seen.” Ignis paused before looking into your eyes. “But regardless, I’m putting my trust in you that you’ll keep your word– that you intend to keep us safe.”

The two of you sat in silence as you considered his words. There was no telling what would happen from here on out. And you had more on your plate than the Advisor could possibly imagine. But hearing him tell you that he would trust you to keep his companions– his  _ liege _ – safe?

You’ve never felt such a mixture of relief and fear.

      “I… see.” You kept your composure as you straightened yourself in your chair, flashing a grin at the man. “Well, don’t let me do all the work for you. You’re still the ‘mom’ of the group.”

      “A role that I’ve willingly taken on.” Ignis returned your smile as he suppressed a misplaced feeling of loss– and now grief.

      “As I with mine.” You glanced around to see Coctura giving you an interesting look. “By the way… What did you see?”

      “Oh, it was…” Ignis flushed remembering as he tried to keep up appearances. “It was, ah…”

      “It’ll help both of us if you just tell me.” Not really, you figured. You were just nosy at this point. “You said it wasn’t bad, right?”

      “I… did indeed say that.”

      “So, tell me.”

      “There was… a Safe Haven.” He paused and reminded himself that it wasn’t real. What he saw  _ wasn’t real _ . It’s fine. You wouldn’t think it was odd, right? “It was from another perspective, but I saw myself sitting with this person.”

      “That sounds nice.” You kept your eyes on him as you tried to think of the image.

      “I suppose it does. But then… it shifted. I was ‘me’ in that vision, and I saw you sitting in front of me.” He suddenly found the pamphlet on the table more interesting as he continued. “You asked about your lips, and… we…”

Your eyes widened as everything fell into place.

      “I think I can guess what happened after that,” you said leaning on your elbows. “You were moving, but you were mumbling, too. Did you know that?”

Ignis’s cheeks became more pink as he remembered the words he supposedly spoke out loud. He struggled to find his words, and he found himself becoming dizzy from how heated his face felt.

      “Don’t worry, it sounded more like you were sleeptalking.” You patted his knee and stood up. “Just remember:  _ That wasn’t you _ .”

Ignis didn’t miss the undertones of loneliness in your voice. You stretched before making some comment about checking on Dino’s progress. As you walked past Coctura, she covered her mouth and made a devious look at you as you placed a finger over your lips.

_       It was him. _

_       But it’s not him all the same. _

You walked down the steps and sat down next to Dino as you glanced over his work, pointing out flaws and giving more advice.

_       He can’t know. _

**_None_ ** _ of them can know. _

_       They’ll only get hurt again if they do. _

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


      “I didn’t think you had it in you, Iggy.”

Ignis glanced up from the newspaper he was reading in a lounge chair. Gladio sat up on the hotel bed with his book in hand.

      “And what might you be talking about?”

      “Puttin’ the moves on ________? Man, you’re a real snake in the grass.”

The bespectacled man harshly cleared his throat before needlessly looking around the room. Prompto and Noct were still in the dining area making their way through the dessert menu after dinner. You had mentioned everything was covered and insisted they indulged themselves. You were still working with Dino and it was well after dusk.

      “That’s not what happened.”

      “Didn’t seem like that to me.” The man smirked and stood up. “But looks like only me and the chef noticed you stealing a smooch. Lucky you, huh?”

_       Lucky me, indeed, to be pestered by you, of all people _ .

      “As I said, that’s not what happened.”

      “Oh, really?”

      “Yes,  **really** .” Ignis let out an exasperated sigh as he folded up the newspaper. “I… saw a ‘vision’. It was so vivid, I actually ended up acting upon it without even realizing.”

      “… Oh.” Gladio’s amused expression dropped and he moved to sit at the edge of the bed. “I’m guessing it wasn’t as bad as Noct’s?”

      “It wasn’t, but it’s apparent that these are occurring by accident.” Ignis took his glasses off and rubbed between his eyes. “I’ve no doubt we’ll experience more of these the longer we travel together. As far as I can tell, the most we’d be risking would be our psychological health, depending on what we see in the visions.”

      “Makes sense.” Gladio crossed his arms. “It gets pretty confusing when you’re in one place and all of a sudden you’re in another.”

      “So, you’ve also seen one?”

      “Yeah, and it seemed like it was in Lestallum. But I don’t think they’ll all be sparkle and glitter. Noct’s sounded pretty jarring. And who knows if Prompto’s already seen one.”

      “My hopes are we don’t run into too much trouble with this.”

      “Yeah…”

The door burst open with Noct and Prompto practically waddling into the hotel room. They groaned as they fell onto the other bed, their stomachs filled with more than half of the dessert menu.

      “Soooo fuuuull…” the blond whined as he rubbed his stomach. “But sooo gooooood…!”

      “Why did I let you talk me into this?” the Prince groaned as he rolled over.

      “You weren’t complaining when you were eating your fourth chocolate mousse tart.”

      “... Yeah, you’re right.”

      “Looks like you two enjoyed yourselves.” Gladio said with a chuckle. “Taking advantage of ________’s hospitality, huh?”

      “She’s the one who insisted.” Noct struggled as he kicked off his boots and slid under the covers. “Besides, isn’t she basically the founder of the place?”

      “Read the welcome pamphlet, did you?” Ignis asked. He pulled the blanket off of the Prince and forced him to brush his teeth, the latter groaning and begrudgingly marching to the bathroom.

      “Yeah. Her appearance hasn’t really changed, so it’s easy to tell it’s her in all of them.” Prompto pulled the folded leaflet from his back pocket and looked over your pictures. As he scanned each of your expressions, he suddenly remembered to look for his old digital camera, and got up to shuffle through his belongings. When he couldn’t find it, a tinge of worry slithered through his spine. “Hey, guys? Have any of you seen my old camera?”

      “Da reh ohn?” Noct spoke with his toothbrush in his mouth.

      “Yeah, I can’t find it.”

      “I don’t recall seeing it in our luggage. Did you take it out at any point?” Ignis asked.

      “No…? I could’a sworn I packed it. Unless…” Prompto froze and slowly sat down. “Unless, I left it at home…”

The others looked to the blond as an air of sorrow settled. They all knew that Prompto truly treasured that camera, despite its wear and tear. He received it as a birthday gift during his childhood, and used it nearly everyday until he was gifted his current Lokton as a high school graduation present. He still remembered how happy he felt when his parents gave them–

Wait.

Prompto stilled as he tried to visualize his parents’ faces. But nothing came up. The more he thought about it, the more unfamiliar it became.

_       Now that I think about it, when was the last time I saw them? _ He thought. His face was scrunched in concentration.  _ I mean, I know they weren’t really around, but they  _ **_were_ ** _ there… right? _

Prompto was brought out of his internal conflict when Gladio walked past him and ruffled his hair as he went to kick Noct out of the bathroom. The brunet spat out the toothpaste with a grimace before he went to go bury himself under the covers again. He patted his friend’s shoulder, murmuring under his breath that he’d help find it later. Prompto sniffed and rubbed his nose before jumping up and stretching, trying not to show how disturbed he felt.

      “By the way, is ________ still helping that Dino guy? It’s pretty late.”

      “I believe so, last I saw,” Ignis said as he stood. “I should ask her what she’s planned for tomorrow, so that we’ll be prepared for our trip to the Disc.”

      “Good thinking.” Prompto faked a yawn as he climbed into the other bed. “Well, hopefully there’s enough time to get a good shot of it.”

As Ignis moved to open the door, the sleepy Prince poked his head out from the covers.

      “Be sure to give ________ her goodnight kiss, too.”

The Advisor froze and slowly turned to see mischievous dark blue eyes staring at him. His eyes shot to Gladio who was leaning out from the bathroom door. Ignis cleared his throat.

      “What in Eos are you talking about, Noct?” He kept his voice leveled as best he could, but his embarrassment was slowly bleeding through.

      “Nothing to be shy about, Iggy. We’re both rooting for you.” Prompto shot him a sly smile. Ignis kept his glare on the Shield, who was enjoying every moment.

      “Hey, don’t look at me. I didn’t tell them.” Gladio held both his hands up in his defense.

      “We were gonna get some drinks after fishing, but saw you two getting into it. Thought you guys would need some privacy.”

      “We were not  _ getting into it _ . Nothing happened and I request that you cease this obnoxious behavior!” Ignis left in a huff, nearly slamming the door behind him.

      “Wow. Didn’t think Iggy could get that heated up.” The blond scratched his nose, nervous that he upset his friend.

      “He’ll be fine. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him like this.” Noct yawned and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep not long after.

      “The last time Iggs got all huffy was when we were teenagers and we found out he had a crush on someone in the Citadel.” Gladio splashed water on his face and grabbed a towel. “Never figured out who it was though. Since then, he’s got better at hiding it, but he gets pretty pissed when he gets called out. That’s how you know he’s actually interested.”

      “Huh. The more you know…”

Ignis ran his gloved hand through his hair and took a deep breath to calm himself as he walked down the wooden steps.

_       Why do they insist on misconstruing the truth? It was a vision. Nothing more. _ As he reached the bottom, he found the bench empty. Ignis looked out across the pier and saw you standing near the end with your head tilted up. Your eyes were closed as a gentle breeze flowed through strands of your hair, the moonlight gracing your features.  _ Nothing… more… _

His footsteps sounded much too loud as he approached you, but you seemed unbothered. As Ignis got closer, he could hear you humming a song to yourself. The melody was all too familiar to him, but he couldn’t place where he had heard it before. Your eyes slowly opened, a dull silver glow to them as they shifted to Ignis. He couldn’t look away from you, and he once again felt grief wash over his very being.

      “________ , what are you doing out here?”

      “Listening,” you all but whispered. Ignis glanced around but you shook your head. “Not here. Elsewhere.”

      “Are you going to leave again?” There was a tinge of worry in his voice that he couldn’t stop. You smiled softly at his question.

      “Tonight, yes. But I’ll be back in the morning.” You noticed Ignis’s brows were still slightly furrowed. “… Something on your mind?”

He had to fight the impulse to reach for your hand as you turned to him.

      “I’m not sure if it’s because of the visions…” His eyes were illuminated by the moonlight as he gazed at you. “… But I’ve been experiencing some form of distress ever since we first met you– even more so today.”

      “Distress?”

      “I’m not sure how to explain it–” Before he could continue, you were already in front of him placing two fingers on his forehead. He felt a warmth spread through him as the silver glow in your eyes became brighter. Through your touch, Ignis felt something resonate within himself; it was as though he had found something long lost, and part of him refused to let go for fear of losing it again. You closed your eyes as you felt the sensation hold you close, as if star-crossed lovers were finally meeting after an eternity.

Though you hesitated, you pulled your hand back and the warmth disappeared, leaving the two of you with the desire to hold each other.

      “Do you still feel distressed?”

      “No, but…” Ignis adjusted his glasses, a gesture you’ve long recognized as him feeling anxious. “It feels… almost empty now.”

      “Will a hug make you feel better? Unless you’d prefer another poke on the forehead,” you chuckled. Green eyes looked down at you with surprise at your offer. “Your  _ soul _ is trying to make sense of the visions when there’s no connection to you whatsoever.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. But a lie, nonetheless.

      “My soul, you say?”

      “You know– your heart, what makes you ‘ _ you _ ’. ”

      “I see…” Ignis stared at your features, finding more comfort the longer he looked. The grief from before was quelled for the time being, but he had a feeling it would come back given time.

      “Let me know if you feel distressed again. I’ll come running.” You search within the inner pockets of your poncho and pulled out an amethyst mala bracelet. Ignis noticed one of the beads was carved into the shape of a skull. “In the meantime, this is for you. It’ll help keep you calm when you’ve got too much bubbling on the inside, as well as give you a bit more strength. Though, if you want to give it to someone else, that’s fine, too.”

      “Is this what you were helping Dino with?” Ignis reached out to hold the bracelet, but you slipped it over his wrist instead.

      “Yes, though I carved the head bead.” You watched as he inspected it, his fingers lightly touching the bead in question. He was reminded of home, and the nostalgia he felt was the most calm he’s ever felt since they left.

      “… Thank you, ________ . I’ll make certain to take care of this.”

You glanced behind him back at the seaside resort and noticed three distinct heads peeking out from the balcony of the hotel room. You smirked and twisted your hand, summoning a gust of wind near them and making them brace themselves. You and Ignis heard familiar wails echo out to the pier as your audience took cover indoors. The Advisor went to turn to the sound, but was held in place as you wrapped your arms around his torso and buried your face in his chest. Tears threatened to spill, but you clenched your eyes shut as you pushed yourself closer to Ignis.

You had felt overwhelmed ever since you calmed him down, and the impulse was too much to resist touching him again. His soul had resonated with you, trying to remember something you had purposely hidden away within him. You knew it wouldn’t last long, given your power being significantly weaker than it’s ever been. This was likely going to be the case with Gladio, Noct, and Prompto, and you had to prepare yourself for when the time came. Ignis stood debating whether or not to push you off, but your hold was so calming, and he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He slowly brought his arms over your shoulders and relished the heat your body exuded. Getting caught by the others was the last thing on his mind as he breathed your scent in deeply.

Honeysuckle.

Though you had done your best to keep it together, the moment Ignis returned your embrace, you couldn’t stop the rush of tears that poured out from your still glowing eyes. The moment was cut short as you quickly pulled away, haphazardly wiping your face as you choked out a pained laugh.

      “Sorry, don’t know what came over me…” you lied. You took a quick breath and settled yourself. Ignis stood before you, concern and worry lacing his features. “You should get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”

      “________…” Ignis reached out to you, but stopped just short of your arm before his hand dropped to his side. “… Of course. And… do be safe.”

      “Always am.”

You tugged your hood over your head, and with a rush of wind you were nowhere in sight. It took moments before Ignis made the walk back to the hotel room, doing his best to remember your warmth.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


      “Oh my Gods, ________! What happened to you?!” Prompto all but ran to you as you waited beside the Regalia not long after daybreak. Noct, Ignis, and Gladio weren’t far behind as they quickly caught up.

      “Nothing? What’s wrong?”

      “What do you mean what’s wrong! You’re  **covered in blood** !”

You looked down and saw that your clothes were indeed covered in red.

      “Don’t worry, it’s not mine.” You looked down at your legs and remembered the large rip in your pants along your thigh. The wound was gone, but there was a dark stain from where you had bled. “Well, not all of it.”

      “You alright? What happened?” Gladio inspected you, but found you weren’t injured at all. Or at least, not anymore.

      “I’m fine. Just found a few injured travelers last night, that’s all.” You pulled your poncho off and shook it. The leather simply let the viscera slide off like it was nothing, and didn’t leave any stains. Your tube top had noticeable holes and slits, almost as if you were stabbed and slashed at. You removed your bow and quiver and shook off any remaining blood. “Mind if I put these in the trunk?”

Noct slowly shook his head and pulled out the car keys and pushed a button on the remote. The trunk popped open and you nodded your thanks as you placed your belongings in the back. It seemed there was more to your story than you let on, but it would have been wasted effort trying to get more out of you. As you closed it with a  _ thunk _ , you went to grab the keys from the Prince and motioned to the Regalia.

      “Ready to go?”

The car ride was significantly less erratic than the last time you had driven; however, you were driving significantly over the speed limit, and you nearly made Ignis black out several times. Prompto opted to sit in the middle in the backseat– though he didn’t have much of a choice since Noct and Gladio refused to move, and he would’ve felt bad making Ignis sit there instead. As such, the blond relinquished his front seat to the bespectacled man. His only condition was to be the DJ for the ride over to Lestallum, which you insisted they stop by to stock their inventory before heading to the Disc of Cauthess. You found interest in his music choices, and often asked him who each of the artists were and when each of them made their debut.

      “You’ve never heard of Muno Brars?? He’s, like, basically one of the few artists who revitalized funk! How do you not know Muno Brars?!”

      “Well, I’ve been busy running around trying to make sure no one gets eaten alive by daemons for the last few millennia, so you’ll have to forgive me.”

      “O-Oh…”

It was just barely past the afternoon when you reached the parking lot in Lestallum. You hopped out the driver’s seat and tossed Ignis the keys as you tapped on Noct’s head to wake him up. He groaned as he slid out the car and stretched. As you turned, you noticed an unfamiliar magenta Vixen convertible parked on the other side of the lot.

_       That’s never been there before… _

As you took a deep breath, you recognized a familiar scent in the wind and immediately brought your hand into a fist in front of your chest. With a pulse of brilliant blue light, the sounds around you came to a stop and everything froze in place. Noct had been yawning, Prompto stopped mid-skip, Gladio had been saying something to Ignis. Everything was preserved in time as you brought your hand down.

      “What are you doing here, Ardyn.” It was less of a question and more of a statement as you turned to where you detected the scent. A figure shifted near the overlook and turned to you. He approached you calmly, yet he seemed almost excited to see you.

      “Such hostility already?” He removed his hat and bowed gracefully in front of you. “And I was looking forward to seeing you, dear  _ Rudra _ .”

      “ **Do not call me by that name.** ” Your eyes and hair immediately glowed a vibrant silver, your voice echoed in several octaves. Ardyn simply chuckled and replaced his hat.

      “It suits you more than ‘________’ does. Don’t you think so?” A sly grin slid across his lips as he circled around you.

      “What is your purpose here? You’ve no reason to be anywhere near them.” The silver glow disappeared from your features. Your eyes followed the man, but you kept your body still.

      “I must admit, I got rather bored waiting on you. I’ve made sure to make things interesting each time, but after enduring the same things over and over…” Ardyn stopped behind you and slid his hands over your waist, his thumbs stroking your exposed skin. He pressed his hips to yours and tilted his head down to your neck. His lips graced over your skin and his stubble scratched you as he placed a gentle kiss. “… I thought I would make our last time more memorable.”

A violent cyclone circled around you, forcing him off of you to avoid being shredded. He shook his hands out, blood dripping from the wounds inflicted on his arms. Black smoke slithered from the cuts, healing just moments after. You glared at him as he skipped back toward the overlook.

      “So, everything that’s happened,  **you** influenced it. I should have known.”

      “I can’t take all the credit, dear.” Ardyn shrugged as he motioned toward you. “You left so much of your power behind that you’re so  _ pathetically _ weak this time.”

You narrowed your eyes at him.

      “What game are you trying to play now? I would’ve thought you’d long since passed those kinds of trivialities.”

      “Trivialities?” He paused, scrutinizing your appearance as he eyed the cuts and rips in your tube top. Suddenly, a wicked smile crossed his features. He approached you again, holding his hands out toward you. “ **_Ah. I see._ ** So, that’s what we’ve come to.  _ How interesting, indeed. _ ”

You further scowled at his words as Ardyn stopped in front of you, cradling your face in his hands.

      “What are you talking about? I didn’t leave my power to anything.” You knew you weren’t at full strength in this last cycle, but you just couldn’t figure out why or how. Something was…  _ missing _ . Your response was received with a blood-curdling laugh.

      “And I suppose you don’t remember how you forever came to walk amongst mortals? Practically becoming human?” He was almost filled with an uncontrollable excitement as your expression betrayed the slightest bit of confusion. “Oh, this is simply beautiful.  _ So beautiful _ .”

Ardyn brought his face close to yours, his eyes filled with mad glee. Words failed you as this new revelation weighed you down. If what he was saying was true, then that meant the events you couldn’t stop in this final cycle was not just the fault of the man in front of you, but yours as well.

      “Fret not, dear Rudra. I promise to make sure we both have our fun.” His grip tightened on your face as he pressed his lips to your forehead. “You know I always keep my promises.”

As Ardyn released his grip, he waved his hand and shattered the hold on time you placed. Everything resumed as if nothing was amiss. Ignis looked around for you and found you were no longer near the Regalia, but closer to the overlook. He recognized the man in front of you and motioned to the other three.

      “I will guide them to the Archaean this time.” With another wave of his hand, you suddenly felt a surge of power far off in the distance. “You, however, should probably attend to this–”

Before Ardyn could finish his sentence, your eyes and hair adorned the silver glow once more and you disappeared in a rush of wind. Ignis, Gladio, Prompto, and Noct were shocked to see you suddenly vanish, and were perturbed with your appearance, as the last time they had seen you like that you had killed Libidine. The burgundy-haired man approached them nonchalantly, as if you leaving without a trace was nothing out of the ordinary.

      “What a coincidence.” Ardyn waved. This was the most excitement he’s felt since the  _ first cycle _ .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanna hang? Crawl on over to my [tumblr](http://perks-of-being-blackinese.tumblr.com/).
> 
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